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Everything David Cameron said about Gaza before Baroness Warsi resigned

Everything David Cameron said about Gaza before Baroness Warsi resigned

Baroness Warsi yesterday resigned in protest at the government's policy on Gaza.

After questions about just what that policy was, here's everything David Cameron has said publicly about Gaza since Operation Protective Edge began on 8 July.

9 July: A Number 10 spokesperson on a call with Benjamin Netanyahu:

"The Prime Minister spoke to Prime Minister Netanyahu earlier this evening about the situation in Israel. The Prime Minister strongly condemned the appalling attacks being carried out by Hamas against Israeli civilians. The Prime Minister reiterated the UK’s staunch support for Israel in the face of such attacks, and underlined Israel’s right to defend itself from them."

Source: Gov.uk

19 July: A Number 10 spokesperson on a call with Barack Obama:

"Both leaders reiterated their support for Israel's right to take proportionate action to defend itself from the barrage of rocket attacks from Gaza."

Source: Gov.uk

21 July: House of Commons statement

"This crisis was triggered by Hamas raining hundreds of rockets on Israeli cities, indiscriminately targeting civilians in contravention of all humanitarian law and norms. In the last fortnight, Hamas has fired 1,850 rockets at Israeli cities. This unprecedented barrage continues to this moment, with Hamas rejecting all proposals for a ceasefire, including those put forward by the Egyptian government. I have been clear throughout this crisis that Israel has the right to defend itself.”

He also added: “But I share the grave concern of many in the international community about the heavy toll of civilian casualties.”

Read the full statement: Gov.uk

21 July: Written Ministerial Statement on the European Council meeting

“The Council also discussed the current violence in Israel and Gaza. It condemned the firing of rockets from Gaza into Israel and the indiscriminate targeting of civilians. It called on both sides to de-escalate the situation and to end the suffering of the civilian population.”

Source: Theyworkforyou

29 July: ITN interview

"What it's time for is unconditional, immediate, humanitarian ceasefire. What we're seeing is absolutely heartbreaking in terms of the loss of life, and the pictures that everyone has seen on their television screen are really heart-rending and everyone wants to see this stopped, so an immediate unconditional ceasefire, that is what is required.

"Hamas must stop attacking Israel with rocket attacks. That is how this started. It's completely unjustified and they need to stop as part of the ceasefire."

Read more: Telegraph.co.uk

2 August: Responding to criticism from Ed Miliband

The Labour leader had said: "The Prime Minister is wrong not to have opposed Israel's incursion into Gaza. And his silence on the killing of hundreds of innocent Palestinian civilians caused by Israel's military action will be inexplicable to people across Britain and internationally."

In response, a Downing Street spokesman said:

The PM has been clear that both sides in the Gaza conflict need to observe a ceasefire.

We are shocked that Ed Miliband would seek to misrepresent that position and play politics with such a serious issue.

Read more: The Guardian

30 July: Announcing £3m in aid to Gaza

"We are going to give a further £3 million of aid to help make sure the people in Gaza have the basic necessities of life, the food, the shelter and the assistance that they need."

Source: York Press

4 August: BBC Breakfast

"The UN is right to speak out in the way it has [about one of its schools being attacked], because international law is very clear that there mustn’t be the targeting of civilians or the targeting of schools if that’s what’s happened and the UN, as the international body, is right to speak out in the way that it has. The UN has spoken very clearly and I think they’re right to speak very clearly. International law is clear that it’s completely wrong and illegal to target civilians – if that’s what’s happened – and I think, as I said, the UN is right to speak out in the way it has.”

On whether he thought Israel had breached international law:

“I’m not an international lawyer so it’s up to international lawyers."

See the interview: BBC Breakfast

4 August: Pooled clip

"I am extremely concerned about these reports [that a British citizen has been killed in Gaza] and we are doing everything we can to get to the bottom, to find out exactly what has happened and I don’t want to say anything before we have been able to do that. This only reinforces the need for an immediate, unconditional, humanitarian ceasefire, observed properly by both sides."

Source: Independent.co.uk

More: These are the names of the children killed in Gaza

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