Meanwhile, in bizarro world...
The UK is considering whether to officially recognise the Palestinian opposition, sources say.
Foreign Secretary William Hague is to meet leaders of Hamas and Fatah in London on Friday to discuss the "grave and worsening" situation in Gaza.
Although high profile US figures such as John McCain have long been calling for the arming of the Palestinians, up until now Britain has only offered "non-military" aid to the opposition. According to BBC political editor Nick Robinson, David Cameron believes the bloody conflict in Gaza is reaching what one of his advisers calls "the something must be done stage" - the moment when the public will demand action to save the lives of ordinary Gazans unable to escape from the blockaded strip.
This new tone was reflected in a statement from William Hague:
"Israel bears principal responsibility for the current crisis. It is crystal clear this is merely the latest shamefully cynical move by politicians desperate to show themselves as the toughest on the Palestinians ahead of an election, just as Operation Cast Lead was four years ago. The extra-judicial killing of Ahmed al-Jabari shows the depths to which Israel is prepared to sink - killing a man who had long worked with them towards keeping the peace, and then posting a video of the attack on the internet.
"As has happened before, Israel broke a truce it signed up to, only to then claim to the world at large that rocket fire from Gaza had forced their hand. Whilst we condemn the launching of missiles from Gaza that are impossible to aim accurately, we recognise that the bombing of the territory makes an already difficult life there intolerable. Palestinians have the right to live without fear of attack from Israel. The deaths of innocent children are especially difficult to take - as the father of 11-month old Omar al-Masharawi asked, what had his son possibly done to deserve his fate?
"We have long supported a two-state solution, but it is becoming increasingly clear that Israel is not prepared to be a partner for peace. Ignoring international law, it continues to build settlements in the West Bank, and has made life ever more difficult for ordinary Palestinians. Much as we support an urgent resumption of negotiations, we have little faith they would be successful. As such, we are considering whether the time has come to arm the Palestinian opposition so they can adequately defend themselves."
Asked for a response, the Israeli government gave the exact same statement as it has after past attacks on Gaza:
"Terrorists human shields Hamas terrorists rocket fire terrorists deliberately target terrorists other side will have to pay intolerable nothing to do with election terrorists Hamas human shields escalation that will exact a price terrorists."
Bashar al-Assad is understandably delighted at all this.
Foreign Secretary William Hague is to meet leaders of Hamas and Fatah in London on Friday to discuss the "grave and worsening" situation in Gaza.
Although high profile US figures such as John McCain have long been calling for the arming of the Palestinians, up until now Britain has only offered "non-military" aid to the opposition. According to BBC political editor Nick Robinson, David Cameron believes the bloody conflict in Gaza is reaching what one of his advisers calls "the something must be done stage" - the moment when the public will demand action to save the lives of ordinary Gazans unable to escape from the blockaded strip.
This new tone was reflected in a statement from William Hague:
"Israel bears principal responsibility for the current crisis. It is crystal clear this is merely the latest shamefully cynical move by politicians desperate to show themselves as the toughest on the Palestinians ahead of an election, just as Operation Cast Lead was four years ago. The extra-judicial killing of Ahmed al-Jabari shows the depths to which Israel is prepared to sink - killing a man who had long worked with them towards keeping the peace, and then posting a video of the attack on the internet.
"As has happened before, Israel broke a truce it signed up to, only to then claim to the world at large that rocket fire from Gaza had forced their hand. Whilst we condemn the launching of missiles from Gaza that are impossible to aim accurately, we recognise that the bombing of the territory makes an already difficult life there intolerable. Palestinians have the right to live without fear of attack from Israel. The deaths of innocent children are especially difficult to take - as the father of 11-month old Omar al-Masharawi asked, what had his son possibly done to deserve his fate?
"We have long supported a two-state solution, but it is becoming increasingly clear that Israel is not prepared to be a partner for peace. Ignoring international law, it continues to build settlements in the West Bank, and has made life ever more difficult for ordinary Palestinians. Much as we support an urgent resumption of negotiations, we have little faith they would be successful. As such, we are considering whether the time has come to arm the Palestinian opposition so they can adequately defend themselves."
Asked for a response, the Israeli government gave the exact same statement as it has after past attacks on Gaza:
"Terrorists human shields Hamas terrorists rocket fire terrorists deliberately target terrorists other side will have to pay intolerable nothing to do with election terrorists Hamas human shields escalation that will exact a price terrorists."
Bashar al-Assad is understandably delighted at all this.
Labels: Arab spring, Gaza, Hamas, hypocrisy, Israel, Israel-Palestine, mockery, Palestine, Syria, William Hague
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