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British gov’t minister resigns over ‘morally indefensible’ Gaza policy, urging Palestinians to go to international criminal court

Sayeeda Warsi
Sayeeda Warsi

A profile in courage: Sayeeda Warsi, a baroness and a senior minister in the British Foreign Office dealing with the United Nations, resigned over the government’s Gaza policy, saying it was inconsistent with “our values” and the rule of law and would damage the country’s reputation.

It’s been retweeted 23,000 times in six hours. Here’s coverage at The Guardian:

Lady Warsi, the senior Foreign Office minister, has resigned from the government in protest at its policy on Gaza, describing it as “morally indefensible”…

In her resignation letter, Warsi said the government’s “approach and language during the current crisis in Gaza is morally indefensible, is not in Britain’s national interest and will have a long term detrimental impact on our reputation internationally and domestically”.

She said the UK’s stance was “not consistent with the rule of law and our long support for international justice”, adding: “The British government can only play a constructive role in solving the Middle East crisis if it is an honest broker and at the moment I do not think it is.”

More at Huffpo from an interview with Mehdi Hasan:

She wanted to see those who are alleged to have committed war crimes over the past four weeks, both in Gaza and in Israel, held to account – but did not believe that the British government would support that process. “As the minister for the International Criminal Court, I’ve spent the last two and a half years helping to promote, support and fund the ICC. I felt I could not reconcile this with our continued pressure on the Palestinian leadership not to turn to the ICC to seek justice.”…

“Our position not to recognize Palestinian statehood at the UN in November 2012 placed us on the wrong side of history and is something I deeply regret not speaking out against at the time.”

The letter in full at the Guardian:

Lady Warsi's resignation letter, from the Guardian
Lady Warsi’s resignation letter, from the Guardian
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Baroness Warsi’s resignation from the government because of the UK’ governments support for Israel’s military action in Gaza is to be commended, however other governments are more complicit, how about this from Professor Norman Finkelsteins blog..”He [Netanyahu] was referring to the deafening silence in the Arab world for the past month, where criticism of Israel has been muted – and matched by criticism of Hamas.
Sissi’s Egypt has clearly sided with Israel, destroying tunnels under Rafah and cutting off the flow of arms and cash to Hamas. Saudi Arabia is quietly backing the Egyptians. On Friday, King Abdullah condemned Israeli actions but also denounced the “shameful and disgraceful terrorists … trying to hijack Islam and present it to the world as a religion of extremism, hatred, and terrorism.”
The quiescence of the moderate Arab world, which sees in Hamas an extension of Iranian influence that threatens them as much as it threatens Israel, could create the conditions for a historic diplomatic reboot.
“At the end of the battle and the operation, it will open many new possibilities for us,” Netanyahu said, referring to the silent support of the Egyptians, Saudis and their allies.
The tacit approval for the destruction of Hamas extends to the Palestinian Authority, where President Mahmoud Abbas has insisted that the unity agreement signed earlier this year must involve the dismantling of Iz al-Din al-Qassam, the armed wing of Hamas. Abbas’s frustration with the Hamas militia boiled over in public as the Israeli air attacks began, when he blamed Hamas, not Israel, for the rising tensions.
“What are you trying to achieve by sending rockets?” Abbas asked in remarks broadcast by Palestine TV in early July. “We prefer to fight with wisdom and politics.”
“It’s not important who wins or loses,” he said. “What’s important is to end this bloodshed.”
Aside from issuing some low-key, pro-forma denunciations of Israeli actions in Gaza, Abbas’s government has been almost mute”. http://normanfinkelstein.com/2014/israels-endgame/
Abbas, Sissi and all the Kings and Emirs of the Arab world should hang their heads in shame, they are just as responsible as Israel/US and the UK government

Well said and done. This is a person who stands up for what is right, and does not want to compromise her own principals. A rare characteristic, hard to find in our
nation, especially among those we vote for, whether in the White House or in Congress.

Bravo!

(More please! Somebodies in the US would be most appreciated.)

I agree.

Even the ghastly Julie Bishop, who defended Israel when it misused Australian passports, has shifted a toe a teeny bit from the Israeli line.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-08-05/israel-palestinian-groups-agree-to-new-72-hour-gaza-ceasefire/5648120

Though George Brandis is concentrating on the really important issue.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-08-04/jewish-groups-welcome-newspaper-apology-for-cartoon/5646178

Britain’s Daily Mail has an interesting take.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2715083/Fairfax-apologises-anti-Semitic-cartoon-Attorney-General-brands-deplorable.html