OXFAM: BRITISH POLICY TOO ISRAEL FRIENDLY

'Mideast policy hurts UK's good name' (JPost)
A British charity has said that its country's policy on Israel and the Palestinians is among the errors in foreign policy that has damaged the country's reputation in the world and undermined its status as "an international force for good."

In a report published on Wednesday, Oxfam, a British charity with a mandate to overcome poverty and suffering in the world, has questioned their country's foreign policy, asking if the UK can do more to protect civilians around the world.

While the report focuses on the UK's role in Iraq and impact or policy around the world, saying the lesson is that "the wrong policy can make a bad situation worse," Oxfam attacks the British government for failing to pressure Israel for an immediate cease-fire in the Lebanon war last year. ... It also says that Britain's position often looks "one-sided."

"In August 2006, during the Lebanon crisis, the prime minister described an 'arc of extremism' of insurgents and pariah governments, and called for an opposing 'alliance of moderation' including the USA, the UK and Israel. To most people around the world, in the light of attacks on civilians by some of the 'moderates' as well as 'extremists,' the UK's position looked one-sided," the report says.