Cabinet in open revolt over Blair's Israel policy (merged)

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**Cabinet in open revolt over Blair’s Israel policy **

                **·** Straw joins criticism of Lebanese toll

· Rice in Jerusalem to push peace plan

Gaby Hinsliff in San Francisco, Ned Temko in London and Peter Beaumont in Beirut
Sunday July 30, 2006
The Observer

Tony Blair was facing a full-scale cabinet rebellion last night over the Middle East crisis after his former Foreign Secretary warned that Israel’s actions risked destabilising all of Lebanon.

Jack Straw, now Leader of the Commons, said in a statement released after meeting Muslim residents of his Blackburn constituency that while he grieved for the innocent Israelis killed, he also mourned the ‘10 times as many innocent Lebanese men, women and children killed by Israeli fire’.

He said he agreed with the Foreign Office Minister Kim Howells that it was ‘very difficult to understand the kind of military tactics used by Israel’, adding: ‘These are not surgical strikes but have instead caused death and misery amongst innocent civilians.’ Straw said he was worried that ‘a continuation of such tactics by Israel could destabilise the already fragile Lebanese nation’.

The Observer can also reveal that at a cabinet meeting before Blair left for last Friday’s Washington summit with President George Bush, minister after minister pressed him to break with the Americans and publicly criticise Israel over the scale of death and destruction.

The critics included close Blair allies. One, the International Development Secretary, Hilary Benn, was revealed yesterday to have told a Commons committee that he did not view Israel’s strikes on power stations as a ‘proportionate response’ to Hizbollah attacks.

Another Blairite minister among the cabinet critics said: ‘It was clear that Tony knows the situation, and didn’t have to be told about the outrage felt by so many over the disproportionate suffering. He also completely understands the effect on the Muslim community - both in terms of losing Muslim voters hand over fist and the wider issue of community cohesion.’

Blair responded to the dissenters by ‘engaging seriously’, the minister said. ‘But he made it clear why he felt he had to choose the high-risk strategy of trying to move things forward for the future of the Middle East through his talks in Washington.’

In addition to the cabinet critics, one of Blair’s closest Labour confidants was understood to have urged him last week to ‘place distance’ between himself and Bush over the crisis.

read on at…

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/labour/story/0,1833542,00.html

Finally some sane people in the government to reign prime minster poodle in..

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Re: Cabinet in open revolt over Blair's Israel policy

The poodle will never understand, for him it is a case of yes sir yes sir three bags full sir. The quicker we get rid of Blair the better, we need a British Prime Minister in number 10 not American foreign minister.

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Re: Cabinet in open revolt over Blair’s Israel policy

^ :hehe: what makes u think the next on at 10 will not be the same ?

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Re: Cabinet in open revolt over Blair's Israel policy

Having cabinet revolt is useless as long as it does not result in change of leadership and policies. There are good and sensible people in all Parties. That does not mean that party is good or its policy is sensible. People should judge a party from the action and performance of the person heading the party in the parliament, as that is the person that represents majority of the elected member of the party and effect ife of ordinary voters.

The way Blair behaves, he is not representing UK voters but is representing himself. His statement is on record when he said that as Prime minister he has to take decisions that he believes right, regardless of what people believe, as if he is there due to his excellence and not due to people’s votes. He has no feeling for UK voters neither cares.

Most Labour voters seem to vote labour due to their historical loyalty, as zombies and idiots, but that should not happen. One should think, use their marble, their upper chamber and then decides that who they should vote according to not only Party affiliation but also according to the way that party and especially party leader behaviour while in power.

Britain has to come out of un-questioned, un-reserved support of USA that Conservative and present day Labour (especially Bush ‘boy’ Tony Blair and people around him) wants UK to be.

I am not Liberal voter but the way Labour and Conservative have played role while in power or in opposition and the way they treated their voter sentiments, especially minority voters, I believe change amongst Muslims, other minority voters and all British just voters is needed.

I think that all British Muslims should always vote in block as that is the only way to go forward. Unity gives strength and disunity gives weakness that shrewd politician exploits. I believe that in next general election, all Muslims should vote Liberals and should shame voters of other parties. We should collectively work to get Liberals or hanged parliament in coming general election.

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Re: Cabinet in open revolt over Blair’s Israel policy

It’s good to see the Brit papers stating the obvious.

http://www.sundaylife.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=700463

Straight talking: Israel clear Mr Blair… you’re gutless lackey

I failed O-level general science. Twice. But I seem to remember something about every action having an equal and opposite reaction. So, I suppose it’s hardly surprising that nearly 50 years after the state of Israel was formed from the tattered remnants of European Jewry which remained after the Holocaust, it, in turn, is behaving with utter ruthlessness. Israel has, after all, some excuse for it, unlike the Nazis. From its inception it has been beleaguered on all sides by hostile states. But its mis-management of the Palestinian problem has ensured that hostility has been magnified 10-fold. And now Lebanon, a tiny little country, two-thirds the size of Northern Ireland, is bearing the brutal brunt. The equivalent of the population of Greater Belfast are refugees. Israeli soldiers have turned ordinary folk out of their villages, only to shower them with ‘intelligent missiles’ when they fled.

They have, apparently, deliberately used those same missiles to target a UN observers’ base after giving assurances to the contrary. They have shelled Red Cross ambulances, killing both the wounded and the paramedics. Last week, Bob Fisk, the Independent’s Middle East correspondent, described the danger he was in when he accompanied a Red Cross convoy already given clearance by the Israeli authorities. Around 500 civilians, including many children, have already been killed and the death toll mounts by the hour. The biggest scandal as far as the UK is concerned is that our revered leader, the gutless Tony Blair, has lacked the intestinal fortitude and the plain, old-fashioned morality to bring his influence to bear on George Bush to demand an immediate ceasefire.

By the time this paper is published, that particular situation may, one fervently hopes, have changed. If it has, do realise that Blair’s dithering and the fact that he is so far up Bush’s rectum that he hasn’t seen daylight for several years, has led to a a hell of a lot of unnecessary horror, anguish and suffering in the Middle East.

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Brits graduallly realizing Nazi crimes in Middle East

We have seen some American journalists and professors starting to acknowledge Nazis using America to fight on their behalf. They now know that these Nazi supporters don’t care about America, rather their loyalties lie first with Nazi Reich of Zion.

British are one step ahead. While most American administration is still pro-Nazi, there is a far wider split in British parliament. This is a good sign.

http://news.scotsman.com/politics.cfm?id=1105702006

Cabinet split revealed as Straw attacks Lebanon tactics

A MAJOR Cabinet split over the Middle East crisis was laid bare last night after former Foreign Secretary Jack Straw condemned Israeli action in Lebanon as “disproportionate”, warning the raids would further destabilise the fragile region.

Echoing the comments two weeks ago by Foreign Office minister Kim Howells, Straw added that he found it “very difficult to understand the kind of military tactics used by Israel”.

Straw’s comments represent the first critical remarks by a UK Cabinet minister of Israel’s actions since the start of hostilities three weeks ago, and expose the rift that has now opened up between Blair and some of his senior allies over the issue.

Labour sources say that Straw’s views are widely shared widely within the Cabinet, with only Home Secretary John Reid said to have been supportive of Blair’s position last week. Even the normally loyal Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott is said to have raised concerns about the level of opposition to Israel’s actions and Blair’s support during Cabinet discussions.

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Re: Cabinet in open revolt over Blair's Israel policy (merged)

Straw is partly saying this for domestic muslim consumption. Bear in mind just a few weeks ago he was courting Condolezza Rice in Blackburn. He needs to back his words up now in front of the media and House of Commons, ala Robin Cook style.