THE GUARDIAN: No 10 denies it has raised rhetoric as row heats up over 'prison camp' comparison
David Cameron was embroiled in an angry diplomatic row with Israel tonight after describing the Gaza Strip as a prison camp for its 1.5 million Palestinian residents.
The prime minister drew fire at home and in Israel for remarks he made in Turkey about the need to further ease the blockade of the coastal territory, following the lifting of some restrictions last month. But Arabs and many others will agree wholeheartedly with his words.
"The situation in Gaza has to change," he told businessmen in Ankara. "Humanitarian goods and people must flow in both directions. Gaza cannot and must not be allowed to remain a prison camp."
Foreign Office sources suggested Downing Street had been remiss in omitting from Cameron's speech the sort of "balancing" comments that are routinely made about Israel's security – especially the fate of a captured soldier being held by Hamas – when its policies on the Palestinians are criticised.
The prime minister condemned Israel's attack on the Gaza aid flotilla, in which nine Turks were killed, as "completely unacceptable", though he ignored demands by Turkey for an international investigation, expecting Israel's inquiry to be "swift, transparent and rigorous". But it was his message on Gaza that drew the strongest reaction.
Ron Prosor, Israel's often combative ambassador to Britain, hit back with a sharp statement: "The people of Gaza are the prisoners of the terrorist organisation Hamas. The situation in Gaza is the direct result of Hamas's rule and priorities." Prosor also took aim at a striking omission by Cameron: his failure to mention the soldier Gilad Shalit, who was captured on the Gaza border in 2006 and whose freedom is a cause celebre [sic] in Israel.
"We know that the prime minister would also share our grave concerns about our own prisoner in the Gaza Strip, Gilad Shalit, who has been held hostage there for over four years, without receiving a single Red Cross visit," Prosor said. >>> Ian Black and Nicholas Watt | Tuesday, July 27, 2010
It hasn’t been a good day for Cameron. First, the ridiculous comments about Turkey being admitted into the EU; and then the stupid comments about Gaza and the Israelis. I have got some advice for Cameron; and it’s simple advice: Engage brain before opening mouth! – © Mark
