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UK sides with Israel in opposing Gaza Freedom Flotilla

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

London, May 31, IRNA -- Foreign Secretary William Hague Monday declined to directly condemn Israel’s massacre of up to 15 passengers on board the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, saying his government was opposed to attempts break the siege.

“We have consistently advised against attempting to access Gaza in this way, because of the risks involved,” Hague said following criticism about the Foreign Office’s delayed reaction to the attack by Israeli commandoes in international waters.

Choosing his words carefully, he “deplored the loss of life” during what he called “the interception” of the seven-boat flotilla, which included 28 Britons among the some 700 passengers seeking to break Israel’s three-year siege of Gaza.

“Our Embassy is in urgent contact with the Israeli Government. We are asking for more information and urgent access to any UK nationals involved,” Hague said.

Earlier, the Muslim News criticised the slow reaction by the UK following the EU calling for an immediate inquiry and Irish Foreign Minister Michael Martin saying the attacks was “totally unacceptable.”

“If such a raid was carried out by another country, the Government would have condemned it outright. There was no concern shown for the safety of the 28 British citizens on board the ships by the FCO,” Muslim News editor Ahmed Versi said.

“One would have expected the coalition government to have been more forthright, especially since the Liberal Democrats usually spoke out against Israeli atrocities when they were in opposition,” Versi told IRNA.

In his statement, Hague went as far as only saying that there was “a clear need for Israel to act with restraint and in line with international obligations.”

“It will be important to establish the facts about this incident, and especially whether enough was done to prevent deaths and injuries,” he said.

The foreign secretary turned his attention to the “need to lift the restrictions on access to Gaza, in line with UNSCR 1860,” saying the Israeli siege was both “unacceptable and counter-productive.”

“There can be no better response from the international community to this tragedy than to achieve urgently a durable resolution to the Gaza crisis,” he said.