Friday, January 23, 2004
Lib Dem makes comment about how she empathises with what makes someone become a suicide bomber, Israel supporters in Labour go mental. Let's make no mistake, this is not another Kilroy. A spokesman for the Liberal Democrats says "The Liberal Democrats do not condone terrorism in any circumstances whether by suicide bombers or anybody else" but the MP in question was not suggesting that it was great, rather that she just felt she understood the desperation that drove Palestinian suicide bombers and "I think if I had to live in that situation, and I say this advisedly, I might just consider becoming one myself. And that is a terrible thing to say".
But Labour, who had to contend with similar smears in the 80s with regard to the IRA, are seeing the possibility to try and distract the media from spending the rest of the time between now and next Friday ruminating over the Hutton report and the Student Fees vote. So:
James Purnell, chairman of the Labour Friends of Israel, said: "Having sat down with people who have lost children, mothers and fathers to suicide bombers and to military action in the West Bank I am really appalled by what Jenny Tonge has said. "There is real suffering on the Israeli side and on the Palestinian side. British parliamentarians should be helping to find a way out of the conflict."
Unless the Guardian is neglecting to report that the Lib Dem MP prefaced her remarks by shouting Pro-Palestinian slogans I don't see where Mr. Purnell is coming from. He is saying there is 'real suffering' on the Palestinian side. So is Doctor Tonge. So unless he thinks the only way out of the conflict is for Israel to kill every Palestinian in their way he should be supporting what she said.
(Interestingly, the Labour Friends of Israel website hasn't been updated since 1999. It also describes itself as a lobby group for the State of Israel in the Labour Party, just in case you hadn't guessed from Mr. Purnell's lip-service to Palestinian suffering. Indeed, there is some question over how even-handed members of the LFI really are.)
And what report would be complete without the point of view of the Israeli government itself?
A spokeswoman for the Israeli embassy said such remarks would inflame the conflict by encouraging militants to become suicide bombers. "We were shocked to hear these remarks which were extremely disgraceful. We would not expect any human being - and surely not a British MP - to express an understanding of such atrocities. Her words show something about her moral standards."
Aah, it's always fun when either side in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict talk about 'moral standards'. I suppose I could be generous and assume that the spokesperson was basing her comments on either an incomplete or wrong report of the MPs comments, as it doesn't actually seem to have much relevence to the reported situation.
Notably Labour seem to have stopped short of demanding she resign, possibly because if they did so they'd have to insist Tony Blair divorce Cherie for similar comments she made a while back.
But Labour, who had to contend with similar smears in the 80s with regard to the IRA, are seeing the possibility to try and distract the media from spending the rest of the time between now and next Friday ruminating over the Hutton report and the Student Fees vote. So:
James Purnell, chairman of the Labour Friends of Israel, said: "Having sat down with people who have lost children, mothers and fathers to suicide bombers and to military action in the West Bank I am really appalled by what Jenny Tonge has said. "There is real suffering on the Israeli side and on the Palestinian side. British parliamentarians should be helping to find a way out of the conflict."
Unless the Guardian is neglecting to report that the Lib Dem MP prefaced her remarks by shouting Pro-Palestinian slogans I don't see where Mr. Purnell is coming from. He is saying there is 'real suffering' on the Palestinian side. So is Doctor Tonge. So unless he thinks the only way out of the conflict is for Israel to kill every Palestinian in their way he should be supporting what she said.
(Interestingly, the Labour Friends of Israel website hasn't been updated since 1999. It also describes itself as a lobby group for the State of Israel in the Labour Party, just in case you hadn't guessed from Mr. Purnell's lip-service to Palestinian suffering. Indeed, there is some question over how even-handed members of the LFI really are.)
And what report would be complete without the point of view of the Israeli government itself?
A spokeswoman for the Israeli embassy said such remarks would inflame the conflict by encouraging militants to become suicide bombers. "We were shocked to hear these remarks which were extremely disgraceful. We would not expect any human being - and surely not a British MP - to express an understanding of such atrocities. Her words show something about her moral standards."
Aah, it's always fun when either side in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict talk about 'moral standards'. I suppose I could be generous and assume that the spokesperson was basing her comments on either an incomplete or wrong report of the MPs comments, as it doesn't actually seem to have much relevence to the reported situation.
Notably Labour seem to have stopped short of demanding she resign, possibly because if they did so they'd have to insist Tony Blair divorce Cherie for similar comments she made a while back.
