The Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, said
today:
'Some 36 Palestinians, many of them
civilians, have been killed in the West Bank and Gaza since 20 February.
I am deeply concerned by the number of civilian deaths, including that
of a pregnant woman in Bureij refugee camp at the weekend, when her neighbour's
house was demolished. The indiscriminate use of force by the Israeli Defence
Force only fuels the cycle of violence, denying both Israelis and Palestinians
the security they deserve. I have repeatedly championed Israel's right
to take steps to provide security for its citizens, but these must be within
international law.
'Our Ambassador to Israel will raise our concerns with the Israel authorities today and I call on them to do everything within their power to prevent further deaths of civilians.
'I urge the new Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority to take immediate steps to resume the political process needed to reach a negotiated settlement by 2005. Leaders on both sides must show statesmanship and rekindle hopes for peace.'