She even looks a little like Chanan Ashwari.
Posted on 01/22/2004 5:30:28 PM PST by Alouette
An opposition legislator was sharply criticized Thursday for saying she could conceivably become a suicide bomber herself if she had to live like Israel's Palestinians.
Jenny Tonge's comment in the House of Commons during a debate about Israel on Wednesday was called irresponsible by two British legislators on Thursday, including one who was visiting Israel.
But Tonge defended her remarks in an interview with Sky News television.
In her original comments, she said that life under Israel can be intolerable for Palestinians.
"That sort of thing repeated on a daily basis made me understand how people can become suicide bombers," she said. "I think if I had to live in that situation - and I say that advisedly - I might just consider becoming one myself."
In her interview with Sky News on Friday, Tonge stuck by her point about Palestinians.
"From minor things to major things, their life does not feel like it is worth living. What I said was that I do not condone suicide bombers. Nobody can condone them. But I do understand why people out there become suicide bombers. It is out of desperation."
She said, "If I was in their situation with my children and my grandchildren, and I saw no hope for the future at all - which I'm not, of course, but if I did - I might just think about it myself."
Lord Janner, a governing Labour Party peer and the chairman of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said the suicide bombers were terrorists opposed to peace in Israel.
"For a member of either house of this Parliament to say she has sympathy with it, I think is awful," he said.
James Purnell, currently leading a delegation of fellow Labour legislators to Israel, said Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy should demand that Tonge retract her remarks and make it clear they do not reflect the party's policies.
"Last night, the delegation met with victims of suicide terrorism from both sides," Purnell said. "They would be appalled by what Jenny Tonge has said. There is no monopoly on suffering from either side, and her statement just perpetuates that suffering."
In Israel on Thursday, the government introduced a new security system designed to keep suicide bombers off buses, one of the deadliest forms of Palestinian attacks. In the last three years, 139 passengers have been killed in such assaults.
On Thursday night, Kennedy distanced himself from Tonge's comments.
"Jenny Tonge was expressing her personal views. She was not speaking for Liberal Democrats. Liberal Democrats do not condone terrorism in any circumstances, whether by suicide bombers or anyone else," said a spokeswoman for Kennedy and the party.
Tonge also tried to clarify her comments in a statement through the party's press office.
"I do not condone suicide bombers or terrorism. But I do understand, having been to Palestine myself and having seen the daily barrage of humiliation and aggravation faced by Palestinians, why suicide bombers opt for this most desperate of actions," she said.
"To say that I understand why they take this action does not mean that I condone it. The world is not listening to the plight of these people. The Middle East peace process is failing Palestinians and Israeli citizens alike.
"It is about time world leaders took serious action to resolve the Middle East crisis, rather than look the other way."
A similar controversy occurred in England 18 months ago when Cherie Blair, Prime Minister Tony Blair's wife, made a comment about suicide bombers during a charity event in London with Queen Rania of Jordan.
"As long as young people feel they have got no hope but to blow themselves up you are never going to make progress," she said.
She even looks a little like Chanan Ashwari.
WARNING: This is a high volume ping list
Yeah, it's those damned JOOOZ doing that in and out lung action breathing thing to their Palestinian air...
Someone should explain to Jenny that if it wasn't for the duplicity of the Brits, the Jordanistinians would all be living in greater Jordanistan, the Jews would be living in the Jewish state, and there's a good chance that the Jordanistanians would be a lot better off.
Of course the Mandate is no longer the problem of the Britisher kibitzers, nor is India-Pakistan, but they should have the sense to keep their mouths shut when it comes to the results of their malfeasance.
http://www.palestinemonitor.org/Feature/Time%20to%20get%20tough.htm
"I to feel that the only moral action was to call for a boycott of Israeli goods by individual citizens in much the same way as we successfully boycotted South African goods in the apartheid years"
"If no progress is made in the summer, the UK government, the EU, Russia and the US, the so-called quartet, must bring pressure to bear by considering economic sanctions and the suspension of all arms deals." - Jenny Tonge. June 23, 2003
Howabouts the E.U. stop funding the Arafats P.A. so they don't have more cash that can be used on arms to murder Jews? Better still, boycott them completely?
Website and contact info: http://www.jennytonge.org.uk/
5.56mm
I know, there are so many Jews left for them to kill to please Allah:
“You will fight the Jews and will prevail over them, so that a rock will say, ‘O Muslim! There is Jew behind me, kill him!’” (Reported by Muslim, 2921; al-Bukhaari, 2926).
According to a report narrated by Muslim from Abu Hurayrah, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The Hour [the Day of Judgement] will not begin until the Muslims fight the Jews and kill them. A Jew will hide behind a rock or a tree, and the rock or tree will say, ‘O Muslim, O slave of Allaah! There is a Jew behind me, come and kill him!’ – except for the gharqad (box thorn), for it is one of the trees of the Jews.” (Reported by Muslim, 2922).
Source: "Islam Q+A" on "Why can’t the Jews and Muslims live together in peace?"
http://www.islam-qa.com/QA/1|Basic_Tenets_of_Faith(Aqeedah)/Al-Walaa'_wal-Baraa'_(Alliance_and_Amity,_Disavowal_and_Enmity)/Why_can't_the_Jews_and_Muslims_live_together_in_peace.30011999.1098.shtml
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