A Green Party spokesperson said: “We’d like to pay tribute to the brilliant work done by our councillor for Gipton and Harehills ward, Mothin Ali, in bringing calm and unity after the unrest on Thursday night. Mothin risked putting himself in harm’s way to keep the peace and worked tirelessly throughout the night to reduce tension and support the police officers that were at the scene. His courage and conviction are a shining example of the work councillors across the country do for their local communities despite having little investment in support. It’s a stark contrast to the online smears that were directed at him by those who seek only to divide communities and exploit tension and division for their own gain.”

Green Party councillor Mothin Ali responded to Nigel Farage’s claim that the disorder in Harehills in Leeds on Thursday was the ‘politics of the sub-continent’ saying:

“Farage is in America commenting about a community he knows nothing about.

“As he has done time and time again he seeks to use tensions to further societal division for his own political gain.

“I ask him politely, to leave us alone as we undertake the work needed to bring our community back together.

“Nigel, use your voice to bring the country together, spread the idea of unity and we’ll all be the better for it, instead of trying to divide it”

Green Party MP for North Herefordshire, Ellie Chowns said: “The Green Party welcomes the International Court of Justice ruling. It confirms what we have been saying for a long time: the occupation of the Palestinian territories is illegal.

“Now, attention must turn to what must be done to end the occupation. Clearly, ‘diplomatic pressure’ and the ‘peace process’ are not enough. There must be real, consequential pressure on Israel to leave the territories and stop the settlements. Along with its international partners including the EU, the UK must now consider measures such as sanctions and boycotts to this end.

“The international approach hitherto to the occupation has not worked. There needs to be a new international approach which will plausibly bring the occupation to an end. Calling for more diplomacy is akin to doing nothing.”

Green Party MP for North Herefordshire, Ellie Chowns said: “Lifting the ban on UK funding for the United Nations aid agency for Palestine (UNRWA) is welcome. It is vital that the UN is now allowed full access to Gaza and the Occupied Territories to carry out its humanitarian work. The UK government has an important role in ensuring this happens.

“As I pointed out to the Foreign Secretary in the Commons this morning, I am clear that arms sales to Israel should stop, given that the prosecutor for the International Criminal Court has said war crimes have taken place. The legal advice that the Foreign Secretary has commissioned should be published immediately.

“I question the Foreign Secretary’s approach to achieving the very overdue and necessary full ceasefire in Gaza. It is clearly not enough to ‘call for’ a ceasefire or talk about diplomatic pressure for a ceasefire.

“These tactics are woefully insufficient in persuading both parties to stop fighting. The Netanyahu government is deeply incentivised to continue the conflict. There must be meaningful pressure on both parties, including the threat of targeted sanctions, to force them to end the horrific bloodshed.”