Cameron's Gaza remark 'shocks' UK chief rabbi
After British PM calls Hamas-ruled territory 'prison camp,' Lord Sacks urges him to show more 'balance' when discussing Middle East
Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, chief rabbi of the British Commonwealth, said the Jewish community felt "dismay" over comments made by Prime Minister David Cameron in which he described Gaza as a "prison camp", the Telegraph newspaper reported Sunday.
During a sermon at St John's Wood synagogue last Saturday, Sacks urged Cameron to show more "balance" when discussing the Middle East.
The rabbi's spokeswoman said, "In a wide ranging sermon, the Chief Rabbi made a passing reference to the dismay many in the Jewish community and far beyond feel about the prime minister's comments on Gaza.
"The Chief Rabbi emphasized the importance that previous prime ministers have always placed on displaying balance, even when being forthright."
During an official visit to Turkey in July, Cameron called on Israel to allow the free flow of humanitarian goods and people in and out of Gaza. He also called the storming of a Gaza-bound flotilla in late May "completely unacceptable".
"The situation in Gaza has to change. Humanitarian goods and people must flow in both directions," said the British PM. "Gaza cannot and must not be allowed to remain a prison camp.''
According to the Telegraph, Lord Sacks has been seen as a controversial figure by some members of the British Jewish community since becoming Chief Rabbi in 1991.
Some Tories accused him of being too close to the Labor government after being granted a peerage by Gordon Brown in 2009, the report said.
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