Douglas Alexander MP, Labours Shadow Foreign Secretary, responding to the latest events in Gaza: Before the Israeli ground incursion into Gaza began, I warned that this escalation would be a disaster for the people of both Gaza and Israel, and a strategic error for Israel. “That is why Labour is now not only calling for an immediate ceasefire, but also have made clear that we oppose the Israeli incursion into Gaza. “Events unfolding in Gaza today are the kind of horrors that can define a generation, and risk, in time, recruiting more supporters to terrorist groups like Hamas. “A ceasefire will require Hamas to end its indiscriminate rocket fire on Israel and its attempts to infiltrate Israeli civilian areas, and see Israel put an immediate end to Operation Protective Edge which has already killed over 600 Palestinians living in Gaza. “The urgent priority must be securing that ceasefire, but the ultimate goal must be not just an end to the war, but a strategy for building the peace. An end to terror, blockade and occupation is the only path towards a negotiated two state solution that can bring lasting security and justice to the Israeli and Palestinian people.”
Posted on: Wed, 23 Jul 2014 16:47:59 +0000