PRIME MINISTER OLMERT AND ENDING THE CYCLE OF VIOLENCE IN ISRAEL AND PALESTINE

Early day motion 2349, tabled 12 June 2006 by Richard Burden (Labour). Signed by 111 members.

That this House is appalled by the shelling of the beach in Gaza which killed a family of seven Palestinians, including five children, and injured 32 others, including 13 children, as it was equally appalled by the bombing by Islamic Jihad of a Tel Aviv falafel stand on 17th April which killed nine Israeli civilians and injured 60; notes that in the week of 24th to 30th May about 28 home-made Qassam rockets were fired by Palestinian militants inside Gaza towards southern Israel and that during the same period Israeli regular forces fired more than 190 artillery shells and launched five air strikes into Gaza; urges Hamas not to abandon the ceasefire its own fighters have maintained over the past year; calls on Prime Minister Olmert to order an end to attacks by Israel's forces; and urges both sides to accept their responsibilities to break the cycle of violence, to reject unilateral actions and to open negotiations for a just and lasting settlement in line with the Road Map and United Nations Resolutions passed on the Israel/Palestine question.

Signatures by party: Labour 67, Liberal Democrat 33, Conservative 5, Plaid Cymru 3, Scottish National Party 2, Social Democratic and Labour Party 1.