CARDIGAN Town Council have called for peace and a diplomatic solution to the Israel and Palestinian conflict in response to a plea by The Palestinian Solidarity Campaign Ceredigion Group at last month’s meeting.

Around a dozen members of the CPSC crammed into Ty Cadwgan to urge members to send a statement of concern to Ceredigion County Council.

Spokesperson Adam York said they were particularly concerned at arms funding for Israel and the testing of drones at Aberporth.

“Gaza can seem a long way away, but there are local people who have friends out there and contrary to what a lot of western media put out, this conflict did not start with the Hamas attack on Israel on October, but goes back very many years,” he said.

Now town mayor Cllr Olwen Davies has issued a statement ‘on behalf of Cardigan Town Council and residents of Cardigan’, to express the town’s ‘collective condolences, support, and solidarity to everyone that has suffered and is suffering in Israel and the Palestinian Occupied Territories’.

The statement continued: “This is a horrible situation; we are appalled by all and any acts of violence and deeply distressed by the continued conflict and the loss of thousands of innocent lives.

“In line with the United Nations, we are urging leaders in Israel and Palestine to do everything within their powers to avoid further loss of innocent life.

“We call for peace; we call for a diplomatic solution and we call for the cessation of the violence and horrors visited on so many communities.”

Last month the council said they would need to seek guidance from One Voice Wales - the principal organisation for community and town councils - before they could decide whether to support CPSC’s request.