This page has been archived and commenting is disabled.
First British Minister Resigns Over "Morally Indefensible" Gaza Policy
While in the US there has been nothing but political propaganda and a constant Obama defense of John Kerry over his disastrous, to date, handling of the deteriorating situation in the middle east, in the UK the internal discord has finally moved beyond merely posturing and has claimed the first political career, when overnight a minister in the Foreign Office, Baroness Warsi, announced she has resigned from the government, saying its policy on the crisis in Gaza is "morally indefensible", is not in Britain's national interest and will have a "long term effect on our reputation internationally and domestically".
She adds that the decision "has not been easy" but there is "great unease" within the Foreign Office over "the way recent decisions are being made." According to BBC, Lady Warsi, who was previously chairman of the Conservative Party, became the first female Muslim cabinet minister when David Cameron took office in 2010. The prime minister thanked her for her "excellent work", adding that he wanted an "unconditional ceasefire" in Gaza.
Labour backed Lady Warsi's comments, but Chancellor George Osborne called her resignation "disappointing and frankly unnecessary".
More:
Lady Warsi grew up in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, and worked as a solicitor before entering politics. She was demoted from the cabinet to a middle-ranking Foreign Office post in 2012, being made minister for faith and communities at the same time.
She wrote on Twitter on Tuesday: "With deep regret I have this morning written to the Prime Minister & tendered my resignation. I can no longer support Govt policy on #Gaza."
Several backbench Conservative MPs have called on Mr Cameron to take a more robust line with Israel amid concerns its actions in Gaza are "disproportionate".
According to a BBC analysis of her departure, the minister has "chosen a day when the prime minister is away to hand in her resignation. She is the first minister in four years of coalition government to resign over a matter of policy."
She clearly believes - as probably the most prominent British Muslim politician in the country - that she can no longer stand by a prime minister and a government that she feels is using a "morally indefensible" policy when it comes to Israel and the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
She has made it clear that her Muslim faith and her personal beliefs must come before her political beliefs and career.
The Conservatives, traditionally, have close ties to the Israeli government and it is far more difficult for David Cameron and those at the top of his party to speak out more strongly about Israel than others, who have a different policy.
In other words, acting based on her beliefs instead of ulterior lobby interests: strange. Her full letter below:
Dear Prime Minister
For some weeks, in meeting and discussion, I have been open and honest about my views on the conflict in Gaza and our response to it.
My view has been that our policy in relation to the Middle East Peace Process generally but more recently our approach and language during the current crisis in Gaza is morally indefensible, is not in Britain's national interest and will have a long term detrimental impact on our reputation internationally and domestically.
Particularly as the Minister with responsibility for the United Nations, The International Criminal Court and Human Rights I believe our approach in relation to the current conflict is neither consistent with our values, specifically our commitment to the rule of law and our long history of support for International Justice. In many ways the absence of the experience and expertise of colleagues like Ken Clarke and Dominic Grieve has over the last few weeks become very apparent.
This decision has not been easy. It has been a privilege to serve for 3 years in your Shadow Cabinet and over 4 years in your Cabinet. Introducing you in Blackpool in 2005 as you made your bid for leadership I had the pleasure of being there at the start of the journey and it would have been rewarding to have been there til the end.
The last decade has given me the opportunity to work with some of the best in the Conservative Party and indeed in Government. William Hague was probably one of the finest Foreign Secretaries this country has seen and has been inspirational. He dismantled foreign policy making by sofa government and restored decision making and dignity to the Foreign Office. There is however great unease across the Foreign Office, amongst both Minister and senior officials, in the way recent decisions are being made.
Eric Pickles has supported me tirelessly in our work on combating hate crime. Challenging anti-Semitism and Islamaphobia and the pioneering work of celebration faith in the public sphere. This new found confidence in Government has allowed me to take the very public International lead on religious freedom, specifically on the ever growing crisis of the persecution of Christians. However, early evidence from the Home Office and others shows that the fallout of the current conflict and the potential for the crisis in Gaza and our response to it becoming a basis for radicalisation could have consequences for us for years to come.
From both Eric and William I learnt the art of reconciling passion and idealism with pragmatism and realism, but I always said that long after life in politics I must be able to live with myself for the decisions I took or the decisions I supported. By staying in Government at this time I do not feel I can be sure of that.
It is therefore with regret that I am writing to resign.
You will continue to have my personal support as leader of the Conservative party as you continue to ensure that our Party evolves to meet the challenges we face in Britain today and ensure that the Party is relevant and responsive to all communities that make up today's Britain.
Yours sincerely
Sayeeda
»
- 19441 reads
- Printer-friendly version
- Send to friend
- advertisements -
Israel was created 3500 years ago , long before your ancestors wore clothes.
http://history1900s.about.com/cs/holocaust/p/balfourdeclare.htm
International criminal court urged to investigate Gaza 'crimes'
Senior British lawyers write to ICC calling on it to launch preliminary inquiry into abuses committed during conflict
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/05/international-criminal-court-urged-investigate-gaza-crimes
Why would any people in their right minds adhere to a set of ideological principles invented by Jacobin revolutionaries?
A disingenenious lip service that won't make any difference. It's just a worthless gesture from one of the world's foremost hypocritical governments.
The alleged ICC is just another privately-owned corporation controlled by the Cabal (psychopathic elite). No justice there.
The number of dhimmis on this site ready to pay jizya is utterly pathetic.
Sorry, but I see Gaza and the Islamization of the US and Europe as two separate issues.
Faith should never come before reason in a developed nation.
That said, her beliefs over this one particular issue do align with mine.
She is, however, a hateful idiot who believes we should return to the days of capital punishment. So fuck her.
Totally agree with your first sentence. Your last sentence contradicts the first though.
I'll have absolutely no problem executing war criminals like those in the US government, US military, and the military/prison industrial complex.
Integrity should always trump career and ambition. Bless her.
Could she be more a secular Moslem? I notice she doesn't do scarves in her imagery here.
it seem to me that the persians and punjabis have the potential to be great cultures if they could shake this mental disease called islam. cant figure out why they are so eager to throw their hat in with the primitive, desert wandering arabs...
oddly enough Judaism is closer to Islam than to Christianity...
Some North African Muslims I've spoken with express the Judeo-Islam conflict as a simple matter of sibling rivalry - i.e. "sometimes brothers fight."
That's why we have very few women in politics around the world; they care less about being bought and more about the actual issues. That's what we call integrity folks, something the male side of the aisle is greatly missing.
What Bullshit. Go watch the video of Hillary Clinton giggling like a school girl at the prospect of blowing up various peoples. The one with James Baker. Oh - and Samantha Powers talking about how the US government overthrew the Ukrainian government.
No, AofJ is right.It's just that Hillary is our side of the aisle.
When most of us think of 'women', Hillary never comes to mind. She falls into a different mutant camp---Hildebeast, wookie, etc..
Joe Rogan podcast with Abby Martin on Gaza
- http://original.antiwar.com/justin/2014/08/03/israel-genocide-and-the-lo...
The English only care about promoting homosexuality and submitting to Islam so this idiotic woman quiting is no surprise.
re (UK policy) morally indefensible", is not in Britain's national interest and will have a "long term effect on our reputation internationally and domestically".
Quite. This could do lasting damage to the reputation of the United Kingdom Of Rampant-Paedophilia-In-High-Places
"It has been a privilege to serve for 3 years in your Shadow Cabinet and over 4 years in your Cabinet."
It is well past time for the people to shine a very bright light on these "shadow cabinets, banks and purported governments" and investigating those hiding within.
Banish the shadows.
The Truth of Israel’s Intentions
Bibi’s Official Genocide Policyp.s. reply to one of neocon Dennis Prager's claim
duffy, - sorry to interupt you, but - I would like to point out that hundreds of thousands of people have died though violence worldwide since the year started. I personally am against civilian death caused by difference of opinion/religion/politics. But I find it hard to beleive that the only deaths that matter globally are the palestinians. Surely all humans are equal ? surely that means mentioning the majority of global casualties from time to time and not just the minority palis every single time ? .... is it that your agenda is just a bit of semantic anti-semitics [see what I did there ?] with mission creep, or are you just racist ?... the majority of violent religious deaths worldwide are muslim-on-muslim, then muslim-on-christian,... no comments there then i suppose.... I repeat that i am no apologist for the state of israel, and all civilian deaths are wrong, but as a scientist & athiest, i prefer empirical evidence and logic, rather than rants and quotes from biased websites. Remember that a quote does not equate to global opinion by an entire race/religion/nationality,.... or scotland would be fucked, as would most nations be if the quote was radical enough. Despite this post, ZH-ers can see your true colors anyhow by looking at your past posts, and certainly some will agree and some wont. This is fight club, so dont think you speak for us all ....
anyway, carry on mate, rant away......
* bollox *
surely ZH, an arabic baroness in britain couldn't be part of some deeper conspiracy no?
perhaps she's actually working with or for the israeli's and this is some sort of psy-op.
i'd bet on it. that or she'll be replaced by someone else. because resigning isn't really much of a trump card these day with thousands of people wanting to take her job.
Maybe she stands for something more than "I'll have another pint."?
Speaking of moral high ground
Britain's massive collection of Art from around the world
How'd they get that stuff anyway?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Looted_art
Only in the topsy-turvy postmodern world is it "theft" for Western Eruopeans to have preserved art for posterity. If left to the natives who, in centruies or millennia, had never shown the least interest in it, or archaeology, or history, would have rotted away amidst the ruins of long-dead civilisations among which these barbarians scurried about.
Or, as we have seen in recent years, they just destroy it in the name of some 7th-century pedophile.
Do 7th Cent pedophiles fail to have more respect for the archaeological remains of Greco-Roman pedophiles than non-pedophiles?
You should brush up on your reading comprehension. I didn't say 7th century pedophiles destroyed anything.
Why don't you come back after you've finished the 3rd grade?
Hey, it's cool that they wobbled their way there after 1,700 of dem annos, huh? I notice that PMs are generally involved. Now we're getting more of a state monopoly on grave robbin' I guess. I support stacking. It's rational, you just have to beat the PTB to the punch is all.
The G.I. in Europe was once described as, "One shootin, two lootin".
Look I know this is sick but scrolling down the comments, this thread's REALLY gave me some pretty good LOLs.
Lewinsk ..., too straight teefs ..., mutilated vagina (Hellbound train for me on that FOR SURE) ...
Wrong to laugh but fuck it if I don't I'll cry ... Like Hanks says, "There's no crying in ... "
http://www.mediaroots.org/human-shield-claim-used-to-justify-state-spons...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vi4uNBOFbic
In that case, please do tell us what you choose to call Hamas engaging in attacks against Israeli cities from homes and public buildings in Gaza and building tunnels under densely-populated civilian areas, knowing very well how the IDF will respond to their actions.
And while you are at it, you can also explain to me just what Hamas are hoping to achieve by taking militarily completely innefectual acts of warfare against Israel, knowing the toll it will take on the population of Gaza.
I swear, either logic is something that you people have never heard of, or you are giving the Hamas militants far too little intellectual credit.
"...can also explain to me just what Hamas are hoping to achieve by taking militarily completely innefectual acts of warfare..."
It's not really any form of warfare, particularly stressd by your acknowledging it's ineffectiveness.
It is more protest than even terrorism. It is a "mirror" to Israelis relating to the story of David and Goliath, a fairytale, if you didn't already know. They use crude bottlerockets to elicit the full rock-crusher of a modern, high tech military.
Israel can spin it any way they want, but people do see through it, and realize exactly what it all means when they (nowadays) see videos of Israelis revelling in the unabated massacre perpetrated by their government, and watch and hear Israelis call for a GENOCIDE of Palestinians out of one side of their face, while the other, in a profane, twisted version of a psychopathic self delusion of righteousness chants a mantra of "never forget". All while doing the same things they seem to have forgotten were done onto them.
The fact is, that if the Palestinians really wanted real warfare, or terror against Israel, all they would need is a few dozen yogurt makers, some microscopes, kittly litter, and stuff found in dirt anywhere on earth. Any half-wit with an associates in applied science can tell you that much.
I guess it is called doing SOMETHING in the face of neocon, imperialist Zionist genocide??? Shirley, da jooz have a clue about that after the Warsaw Ghetto uprising! Imagine, putting their homes on Zionist kibbutzim lands!
funny how the pro-Israel trolls rushed to comment on her looks, as if that had anything to do with her stated opinion and point of view.
honestly, guys - it's one thing to argue someone is wrong or biased - another to try to discredit them by ad hominem.
That's not an ad hominem fallacy. Please stop misusing Latin terms you don't understand.
Her opinions are just that: MERE OPINIONS. They are judgments of value based in the presuppositions of her moral ideology.
See ya!
Brave Lady.
How can a muslim woman become a minister in english cabinet?
Simply the same way, like the alien Kenyan Hussein Obanana become the president of US.
Another impartial Muslim who wants to see Israel destroyed. The big question is how did she get her position inside the British government.Good riddance Muslim.
Don't know who is right or wrong in the middle east, but I do know I'll never support or agree with any group that uses civilians, the poor and the weak as human shields. If Palistinians want my support, then they need to man up, protect their own and show the world they value human life.