Foreign Office Minister condemns rocket attack on southern Israel
Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt calls on both parties to build on November ceasefire
Following yesterday’s rocket attack on southern Israel, the Minister for the Middle East Alistair Burt made the following statement, he said:
I am very concerned by reports of rockets being fired yesterday from Gaza into Israel, the first such incident since a ceasefire agreement was reached on 21 November 2012. We have consistently condemned the indiscriminate firing of rockets into Israel in violation of international humanitarian law. I call on both parties to respect in full the November ceasefire. I also urge them to take advantage of the continuing talks brokered by Egypt to resolve the outstanding issues of ending arms smuggling and improving access of goods and people to relieve the suffering of the people of Gaza. The calm since November has been welcome: it should be built upon, not reversed.
Further Information
Information about the Foreign Office policy: Working for peace and long-term stability in the Middle East and North Africa
Read the Foreign Secretary’s comments about the Middle East made at a press conference with US Secretary of Sate John Kerry
Follow Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt on twitter: @AlistairBurtFCO