Cabinet in open revolt over Blair's Israel policy

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.

full story at http://observer.guardian.co.uk/world/story/0,,1833538,00.html

It won't just destabilize Lebanon; it is encouraging the more radical groups in the more stable countries like Egypt, and it is getting Muslim minorities in parts of Europe FURIOUS. If Israel wants a world war, it may get it, and because we have totally lost any chance of being an honest broker in negotiations, only the UN or perhaps NATO is left to broker a deal. And it won't be nearly as favorable to Israel as it would be if we still had a shred of respect left in the international community. Unless this was the Bush plan, he's REALLY fucked up this time. They're just laughing at Condi over there, both sides.

members of an administration - ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE POND - to speak realistically to a growing disaster, mainly because most of our congresscritters have been paid off and bribed by AIPAC and other jewish lobbies. They fail to see the reality of the situation and are comforted with gold in their pocket, while innocents fry and die.

Now that brit members of the Blair admin are revolting, should at least some of our paid off spineless shithead idiot congresscritters begin to have an independent thought in their pitifully small brainstems? Or is that asking too much?

But the sentiment is a nice one.