Exclusive: 'Why I quit over Gaza' -

Baroness Warsi
TUESDAY 05 AUGUST 2014
In her frst interview, the minister who quit over Gaa, sa!s she ha" to
stan" "own #e$ause o% the U&'s (in"e%ensi#)e( *osition+ Sa!ee"a ,arsi sa!s
the -overnment shou)" not have ("ra--e" its hee)s(+
Baroness Warsi Quits Over Gaza: First
Interview With Former Forein O!!ice "inister
Posted: #$%#&%'#()
Foreign Office minister Baroness Warsi has
dramatically quit the government, citing the UK's "morally indefensible" position on
the conflict in a!a"
#n her resignation letter to the prime minister, $avid %ameron, Warsi &rote that
Britain's support for #sraeli military action against 'amas, &hich has resulted in the
deaths of more than (,)** +alestinians over the past month, "is morally indefensible,
is not in Britain's national interest and &ill have a long term detrimental impact on our
reputation""
Warsi's decision to quit ma,es hers the first ministerial resignation 'on principle' since
the coalition &as formed in -*(* and comes in the &a,e of attac,s on the prime
minister's handling of the a!a crisis by .abour leader /d 0iliband 1 and a 2-1hour
humanitarian truce agreed bet&een #srael and 'amas in %airo on 0onday evening"
3pea,ing e4clusively to 5he 'uffington +ost UK in her first intervie& since resigning
on 5uesday morning, the 5ory peer accused the coalition of failing to act as an "honest
bro,er" in the 0iddle /ast and called for an immediate arms embargo against #srael"
"5he British government can only play a constructive role in solving the 0iddle /ast
crisis if it is an honest bro,er," the former Foreign Office minister said, "and at the
moment # do not thin, it is""
Warsi &as appointed by %ameron as chair of the %onservative +arty and minister
&ithout portfolio in 0ay -*(* 1 becoming the first 0uslim to serve as a full cabinet
minister" .ast &ee,, ho&ever, %hannel 6 7e&s reported that F%O officials believed
Warsi had "deep reservations and concerns about government policy" on a!a"
5he 5ory peer told 'uff+ost UK that one of the reasons she resigned on 5uesday
morning, despite the signing of yet another temporary ceasefire agreement bet&een
#srael and 'amas, &as because she &anted to see those &ho are alleged to have
committed &ar crimes over the past four &ee,s, both in a!a and in #srael, held to
account 1 but did not believe that the British government &ould support that process"
"8s the minister for the #nternational %riminal %ourt, #9ve spent the last t&o and a half
years helping to promote, support and fund the #%%" # felt # could not reconcile this
&ith our continued pressure on the +alestinian leadership not to turn to the #%% to
see, :ustice""
5he former %onservative +arty chair, &ho &as moved to the post of 3enior 0inister of
3tate at the Foreign and %ommon&ealth Office in the 3eptember -*(- reshuffleand
permitted to continue attending %abinet, revealed in her intervie& &ith 'uff+ost UK
that she had been struggling &ith the coalition's stance on the #srael1+alestine
conflict since 7ovember -*(-" "Our position not to recogni!e +alestinian statehood at
the U7 in 7ovember -*(- placed us on the &rong side of history and is something #
deeply regret not spea,ing out against at the time""
7o& that she has quit the government, the 5ory peer &ants to "spea, more freely" on
this issue and her first demand after handing in her resignation letter is for the UK to
introduce an arms embargo" "#t appalls me that the British government continues to
allo& the sale of &eapons to a country, #srael, that has ,illed almost -,*** people,
including hundreds of ,ids, in the past four &ee,s alone" 5he arms e4ports to #srael
must stop""
'er resignation &ill put further pressure on the prime minister to ta,e a harder line
against #srael's bombing and invasion of the a!a 3trip and follo&s interventions from
an array of leading %onservative politicians &ho have e4pressed unease over mounting
civilian casualties on the +alestinian side, including former 5ory defence
ministers 7icholas 3oames and +eter .uff and influential bac,bencher 0argot ;ames,
parliamentary private secretary <++3= to former foreign secretary William 'ague"
"# as, that the government rethin,s policy to&ards the conflict in #srael and the
+alestinian territories," &rote ;ames in a <lea,ed= letter to +hilip 'ammond, 'ague's
successor at the Foreign Office, last &ee,"
Warsi told 'uff+ost UK that she &as a "long1standing supporter of %onservative
Friends of #srael, and someone &ho fundamentally believes in #srael right to to e4ist
and be secure" but e4plained that she "couldn9t sit silently by as the #sraeli military
committed acts that have been described by >U7 3ecretary eneral? Ban Ki 0oon as
'moral outrages' and 'criminal acts' and by the French foreign minister as 'massacres'""
5he peer said she &as left frustrated by the UK's reluctance to strongly condemn
#srael's repeated ,illing of civilians in a!a 1 in contrast to other national
governments and international bodies across the &orld" "5he U7 is 'morally outraged',
the U3 government has called the shelling of schools as 'totally indefensible'"
0ean&hile, the British government has been dragging it heels""
5he former Foreign Office minister made clear she &as not defending 'amas attac,s
on #srael" "'amas is a terrorist organi!ation," she told 'uff+ost UK, "and there can
never be any e4cuse for it to fire roc,ets targeting civilians in #srael" #t too must be held
accountable for the misery it inflicts upon both the #sraelis and the +alestinians""
'o&ever, she added, "#srael as an occupying po&er has a responsibility of course to
protect #sraelis but it also has a responsibility to protect +alestinians""
#n her resignation letter, &hich she posted on 5&itter, Warsi told the +0 that her
decision had not been "easy" and &hile he continued to have her "personal support"
she had to be "able to live &ith myself for the decisions # too, or the decisions #
supported" By staying in overnment at this time # do not feel # can be sure of that""
3pea,ing on .B% radio, .ondon mayor Boris ;ohnson described Warsi's decision to
stand do&n over a!a as "very sad" and said he had "great respect" for her"
'ere is the te4t of Baroness Warsi's letter of resignation in full@
$ear +rime 0inister
For some &ee,s, in meetings and discussions, # have been open and honest
about my vie&s on the conflict in a!a and our response to it"
0y vie& has been that our policy in relation to the 0iddle /ast +eace +rocess
generally but more recently our approach and language during the current
crisis in a!a is morally indefensible, is not in Britain's national interest and
&ill have a long term detrimental impact on our reputation internationally
and domestically"
+articularly as the 0inister &ith responsibility for the United 7ations, 5he
#nternational %riminal %ourt and 'uman Aights # believe our approach in
relation to the current conflict is neither consistent &ith our values,
specifically our commitment to the rule of la& and our long history of
support for #nternational ;ustice" #n many &ays the absence of the
e4perience and e4pertise of colleagues li,e Ken %lar,e and $ominic rieve
has over the last fe& &ee,s become very apparent"
5he decision has not been easy" #t has been a privilege to serve for B years in
your 3hado& %abinet and over 6 years in your %abinet" #ntroducing you in
Blac,pool in -**C as you made your bid for leadership # had the pleasure of
being there at the start of the :ourney and it &ould have been re&arding to
have been there till the end"
5he last decade has given me the opportunity to &or, &ith some of the best
in the %onservative +arty and indeed in government" William 'ague &as
probably one of the finest Foreign 3ecretaries this country has seen and has
been inspirational" 'e dismantled foreign policy ma,ing by sofa government
and restored decision ma,ing and dignity to the Foreign Office" 5here is
ho&ever great unease across the Foreign Office amongst both 0inisters and
senior officials, in the &ay recent decisions are being made"
/ric +ic,les has supported me tirelessly in our &or, on combating hate
crime, challenging anti13emitism and #slamaphobia and the pioneering &or,
of celebrating faith in the public sphere" 5his ne& found confidence in
overnment has allo&ed me to ta,e the very public international lead on
religious freedom, specifically on the ever gro&ing crisis of the persecution of
%hristians"
'o&ever, early evidence from the 'ome Office and others sho&s that the
fallout of the current conflict and the potential for the crisis in a!a and our
response to it becoming a basis for radicalisation could have consequences
for us for years to come"
From both /ric and William # learnt the art of reconciling passion and
idealism &ith pragmatism and realism, but # al&ays said that long after life
in politics # must be able to live &ith myself for the decisions # too, or the
decisions # supported" By staying in overnment at this time # do not feel #
can be sure of that"
#t is therefore &ith regret that # am &riting to resign"
Dou &ill continue to have my personal support as leader of the %onservative
+arty as you continue to ensure that our +arty evolves to meet the challenges
&e face in Britain today and ensure that the +arty is relevant and responsive
to all communities that ma,e up today's Britiain"
Dour sincerely
3ayeeda