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Israel Rejects British Parliamentary Report
(Embassy of Israel, London) The British Parliament's Select Committee on International Development published a report Thursday calling on Prime Minister Blair to consider "economic pressure on Israel to ease movement restrictions which are crippling the Palestinian economy and causing soaring poverty." The Embassy of Israel in London responded: The Embassy of Israel rejects the report of the IDC, which we find inherently unbalanced and unjust. This report is unlikely to be remembered as one of the British Parliament's finest documents, and will definitely not contribute to the peace process. We are appalled by the committee's failure to address the core issue, which is the deliberate terror campaign and incitement being waged by Yasser Arafat and extremist terror organizations. The people of Israel deserve more than mere sympathy. Like any other people, they are entitled to defend themselves against over 19,000 terror attacks committed against them. To suggest that Israeli actions are motivated by anything other than defending its people is myopic, untrue, and irresponsible. The report, which does not demand any unequivical actions from the Palestinian Authority to stop terrorism, fails to address the real obstacles to peace. It is about time that the Palestinians take command of their future and stop blaming others for their situation. It is about time that the Palestinian leadership directs the aid it receives to welfare projects to improve the lives of their people. It is about time that a responsible Palestinian leadership fights terror and responds to Israel's offer to walk together on the road to peace, which will ensure prosperity and security to all people.