3th April 2002
The Muslim Council of Britain today voiced its strong condemnation of Israel’s illegal re-occupation of Palestinian lands. Feelings were running high in the Muslim community in this country and throughout the world. The MCB also called on the Government to immediately intervene and send British observers to the region to ensure that the Palestinians were protected from Israeli aggression.
“The Israeli army is engaging in the collective punishment of the Palestinian people in breach of the Geneva Convention. The Palestinians have even been unable to bury their dead with dignity. Churches in Bethlehem are now being desecrated by the Israelis. This is intolerable,” said the Secretary General of the MCB, Mr Yousuf Bhailok.
The MCB urged the Prime Minister who is due to visit President Bush at the weekend to insist that the USA act in a more even-handed manner to help forge a peaceful and just resolution to the conflict.
“We would also like to see the leaders of British Jewry speak out against these crimes. The alternative is to see increasing radicalization in the region and more killings of the innocent,” said the Secretary General of the MCB, Mr Yousuf Bhailok.
The MCB believes that there can be no peace in the Middle East until Israel fully complies with UN resolutions, abandons its illegal Jewish settlements and respects the right of the Palestinians to their own sovereign state with al-Quds as its capital.
April 3, 2002
in Press Releases