Tony Blair urges restoration of the calm to end suffering in Gaza and rocket attacks on southern Israel
Tony Blair today called for a restoration of the 'tahdiya' or 'calm' between Hamas and Israel to prevent further innocent civilian loss of life in both the Gaza Strip and southern Israel.
Speaking following Israel's retaliation for the latest rocket attacks from Islamic militants, the Quartet Representative repeated his call for a new strategy for Gaza which helps the people and harms the extremists.
Tony Blair said: "The terrible events and tragic loss of life in Gaza require, in the immediate term, the introduction of a genuine calm in which the rocket attacks aimed at killing Israeli civilians and the Israeli attacks on Gaza cease so that the suffering of the people, which is severe, can be lifted.
"Then, as I have said many times before, we need to devise a new strategy for Gaza, which brings that territory back under the legitimate rule of the Palestinian Authority in a manner which ends their suffering and fully protects the security of Israel."
Document Sources: Quartet
Subject: Armed conflict, Casualties, Gaza Strip, Security issues
Publication Date: 27/12/2008