Gaza Must Be Allowed To Rebuild For Lasting Peace - Teather Tells Miliband
January 19, 2009 12:03 PM
Local Brent MP Sarah Teather raised the Middle East violence in the House of Commons
Local Brent Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Teather has urged Foreign Secretary, David Miliband to ensure that the people of Gaza will be allowed to rebuild their homes following the latest attacks from the Israeli government.
Speaking during Monday's statement to the House of Commons by Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, local MP Sarah Teather questioned the Foreign Secretary about the Government's plans to ensure that Gaza is rebuilt. A long-standing Israeli embargo on concrete and other building materials means that any attempts by international charities to rebuild Gazan people's shattered homes are severely hindered.
Last year, Sarah Teather visited Gaza and witnessed the appalling conditions in which so many are forced to live. The local Brent MP reported that raw sewage sat untreated on the streets, hospitals were starved of medical supplies, whilst entire communities were reduced to slums. The situation can only have worsened since the latest attacks.
Local Liberal Democrat MP for Brent East Sarah Teather said:
"It is all well and good for the British Government to pay lip-service to the people of Gaza with pledges of support, but it is essential that Britain uses its considerable influence to ensure that vital building materials are allowed into Gaza.
"When I visited the Middle East last year, I was shocked by the conditions people were living in. But I was more shocked to hear that the UN was unable to do anything about it because the Israeli Government had placed an embargo on construction materials entering Gaza. Hospitals and homes were left unfinished or derelict.
"Not only is it vital that a ceasefire is secured, but if a lasting peaceful solution is to be found, Britain must ensure that Israel ends the embargo on these essential materials."
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