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| British minister condemns military action in Gaza |
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Wednesday, December 31, 2008
LONDON: Britain’s First Muslim Minister, Shahid Malik, has strongly condemned the Israeli military action in Gaza saying that there could be no solution of the conflict through missiles and bombs.
In a statement the Minister also backed comments by Prime Minister Gordon Brown who said he was appalled by the violence in Gaza. Malik said the Prime Minister was also 100 per cent correct when he asserted that there could be no military solution to the conflict. The former International Development Minister and now Justice Minister said he believed the current Israeli onslaught had the potential of fueling extremism and making matters worse, especially in the short term. The Justice Minister condemned the Palestinian rocket attacks but emphasized that the rocket attacks in themselves could never justify the killing of hundreds of Palestinians including dozens of women and children in the Gaza.
Malik pointed out that militant rockets had killed 24 Israelis in the last four years, while the Israeli military had killed over 300 Palestinians in just 24 hours. The Minister further said the humanitarian situation in the Gaza was very bleak even prior to the wave of Israeli bombings, and he supported Foreign Secretary David Miliband regarding the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza. Malik continued: ìWhile I was International Development Minister we were extremely concerned that 90 per cent of the tap water in Gaza was polluted and that 70 per cent of the population was dependent on food aid.
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ISSN 1563-9479 
