British senior Muslim minister resigns over UK’s Gaza policy

While the British government has repeatedly called
for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, Cameron has come under criticism from
political opponents for what they say has been his reluctance to condemn
Israel’s actions in stronger terms.

Warsi announced her decision as Israel pulled its
ground forces out of the Gaza Strip and started a 72-hour ceasefire with Hamas
mediated by Egypt as a first step towards negotiations on a more enduring end
to the month-old war.

Her resignation is embarrassing for Cameron, who
has been accused of filling his government with too many middle-class white
males. Warsi was not a full cabinet member but had the right to attend and
played an important role in mediating between the government and Britain’s
Muslim community.

Warsi, a baroness who sits in Britain’s upper house
of parliament, in 2010 became Britain’s first Muslim to serve in cabinet but
was later demoted to be a senior minister of state at the Foreign Office and a
minister for faith and communities.

She announced her resignation on Twitter,
publishing a copy of a letter she had sent Cameron giving the reasons for her
decision.

“Our approach and language during the current
crisis in Gaza is morally indefensible, is not in Britain’s national interest
and will have a long term detrimental impact on our reputation internationally
and domestically,” Warsi, 43, said.

Britain’s response to the events in Gaza was one of
the factors behind the radicalisation of British Muslims, she said, citing
early evidence from the Home Office. That could have consequences for years to
come, she said.

Cameron, who is holidaying in Portugal with his
family, said in a statement he regretted Warsi’s decision to step down and
thanked her for her “excellent” work.

“Our policy has always been consistently clear
– the situation in Gaza is intolerable and we’ve urged both sides to agree to
an immediate and unconditional ceasefire,” he said via his spokesman.

Warsi voiced her support for the people of Gaza in
several comments on Twitter over the last month, saying the Palestinians needed
a “viable and secure” state. She had called for the killing of
civilians to stop.

Gaza officials say the war has killed 1,865
Palestinians, most of them civilians. Israel says 64 of its soldiers and three
civilians have been killed since fighting began on July 8, after a surge in
Palestinian rocket launches.

Speaking in an interview with the Huffington Post
after the announcement, Warsi said she “couldn’t sit silently by as the
Israeli military committed acts that have been described by (UN
Secretary-General) Ban Ki-moon as ‘moral outrages’ and ‘criminal acts'”.

In her role as a foreign office minister, Warsi
held specific responsibility for government policy on Afghanistan, Pakistan and
Bangladesh. Born in northern England, she is the daughter of Pakistani
immigrants to Britain and speaks fluent Urdu, Punjabi and Gujarati.