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This Article is From Jul 27, 2010

British PM calls Gaza 'prison camp'

British PM calls Gaza 'prison camp'
AP Photo
Ankara: British Prime Minister David Cameron on Tuesday urged Israel to lift the blockade of the Gaza Strip, slamming the current state of the Palestinian enclave as a "prison camp."

"Let me be clear that the situation in Gaza has to change... Gaza cannot and must not be allowed to remain a prison camp," he said in a speech to a business association during a visit to Turkey.

Speaking later after talks with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Cameron defended his description, saying that "even though some progress has been made we're still in a situation where it's very difficult to get in, it's very difficult to get out... "We've long supported lifting the blockade of Gaza," he said.

Cameron however acknowledged Israel's security concerns, pointing to rocket attacks from Gaza, run by the radical Palestinian group Hamas, on Israel.

"We both share the view that direct talks (between Israel and the Palestinians) is the right answer," he said, referring to Erdogan.

Following international uproar over a deadly Israeli raid on Gaza-bound aid ships on May 31, the Jewish state said it would begin allowing all purely civilian goods into Gaza.

It said it would also allow building materials into the territory but only for internationally supervised projects and that its naval blockade would remain in place to keep Hamas from importing military-grade rockets and other weapons.

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