Britain’s Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, said on Wednesday in an interview with The Times that he felt ”a degree of compassion” for young Palestinian suicide bombers, a day after one blew himself up on a bus in Jerusalem, killing 19 Israelis.
”When young people go to their deaths, we can all feel a degree of compassion for those youngsters,” Straw told the daily.
”They must be so depressed and misguided to do this,” he added.
His comments contrasted starkly to those he made on Tuesday following the blast in morning rush-hour traffic, when he condemned the attack as ”evil beyond words”.
”I am appalled by this despicable attack in which so many have lost their lives,” he had then said.
Straw’s change of tone appeared to be in support of Cherie Blair, wife of British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who on Tuesday was forced into a public apology for saying that young Palestinians felt they had no choice but to blow themselves up.
Speaking on BBC radio, Straw said his comments in The Times were not intended to condone terrorism.
”In no sense was I remotely condoning terrorism,” he said.
”What we have to do in this situation is distinguish between these people and those organisations and leaders that lie behind them (the suicide bombers).
”Suicide bombing is not remotely a spontaneous act by
individuals. It is an action organised by some very evil terrorist leaders who have hatred for the state of Israel,” he added.
Cherie Blair’s remarks were condemned by opposition deputies while the Israeli embassy in London expressed its ”regret” at the comments.
The prime minister’s wife had said, ”As long as young people feel they have got no hope but to blow themselves up, you are never going to make progress.”
Her comments were made as she appeared alongside Queen Rania of Jordan at the launch of a charity appeal in London aimed at improving medical assistance for thousands of Palestinians.
-Sapa-AFP