[27/July/2010]

LONDON, July 27 (Saba) -- British Prime Minister David Cameron Tuesday described Gaza as a "prison camp" and appealed to the Israeli Government to allow the free flow of humanitarian goods and people in and out of the Palestinian territory, according to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA).

Cameron's comments, highlighted widely by the media here, came during a visit to Turkey, where relations with Israel have been strained since Israeli troops stormed a flotilla of ships carrying supplies to Gaza in May, killing eight Turks and one Turkish-American.

Speaking in Ankara, the Prime Minister denounced the attack on the flotilla as "completely unacceptable" and restated his call for Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu to deliver a "swift, transparent and rigorous" inquiry. But he also urged Turkey not to allow the incident to wreck its relationship with Israel.

Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip, which has severely limited the movement of people and goods since 2007, has sparked outrage in Turkey, which provided the organisers and the bulk of the participants for the flotilla. Today Cameron said: "The situation in Gaza has to change. Humanitarian goods and people must flow in both directions .... Gaza cannot and must not be allowed to remain a prison camp." And he added: "The Israeli attack on the Gaza flotilla was completely unacceptable .... And I have told PM Netanyahu we will expect the Israeli inquiry to be swift, transparent and rigorous." The Prime Minister said he hoped that direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians would take place within the coming weeks and urged Turkey to press the parties to come together by "making the case for peace". He said: "Turkey's relationships in the region, both with Israel and with the Arab world, are of incalculable value. "No other country has the same potential to build understanding between Israel and the Arab world.... I know that Gaza has led to real strains in Turkey's relationship with Israel. But Turkey is a friend of Israel. And I urge Turkey, and Israel, not to give up on that friendship."

Saba