Foreign Secretary Jack Straw speaks of compassion for suicide bombers

Associated Press / SFGate

[RCW2001]

Wednesday, June 19, 2002
©2002 Associated Press

URL: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2002/06/19/international0850EDT0544.DTL

(06-19) 05:50 PDT LONDON (AP) --

Just a day after the British prime minister's wife spoke out about Palestinian suicide bombers, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said Wednesday he felt compassion for the bombers, but condemned such bombings as despicable.

"When young people go to their deaths, we can all feel a degree of compassion for those youngsters -- they must be so misguided and depressed to do this," Straw was quoted as saying by The Times newspaper.

"But behind those people are some very evil and unpleasant terrorist leaders who do not put their own lives on the line when they are making sure that others' lives are ended."

Straw stressed that suicide bombings could never be justified, and condemned Tuesday's suicide attack in Jerusalem, which killed 19 people as well as the bomber, as "despicable."

On Tuesday Cherie Blair, wife of Prime Minister Tony Blair, was criticized for saying that suicide bombers were a symptom of despair, hours after a Palestinian bomber detonated nail-studded explosives on a Jerusalem bus, killing himself and 19 passengers.

Appearing with Jordan's Queen Rania in London to support a $750,000 charity appeal for Medical Aid for Palestinians, Cherie Blair said: "As long as young people feel they have got no hope but to blow themselves up, you are never going to make progress."

Opposition politicians condemned the remarks as insensitive, and the Israeli embassy in London said it regretted that "any public statements, which might be interpreted as expressing understanding for Palestinian terrorism, should be made."

The prime minister defended his wife, and Cherie Blair's spokeswoman later apologized for any offense that may have been caused.

"If any offense has been taken from the interpretation of her comments, then Mrs. Blair is obviously sorry," said the spokeswoman on condition of anonymity. "She did not, and never would she, ever condone suicide bombers or say they had no choice."

©2002 Associated Press  

[vance]

Jack Straw has a record of saying bonehead things and then taking them back. Too much Beefeater's gin?

[camle]

how patronizing

[xvb]

I have compassion for them too. They are not around to spend the blood money their families get for killing Jews. Some people will do ANYTHING for $$$$$$.

[liberalism=failure]

I wonder if he would have had compassion for Nazi Stormtroopers who died in WWII?

[Clara Lou]

they must be so misguided and depressed to do this," Straw was quoted as saying
They aren't depressed, just misguided by their elders into thinking that homicide-bombing is something holy and noble.

[rellimpank]

--I have the same amount of compassion for a "suicide" murdurer-or its relatives-as I do for a mosquito or housefly that I swat--

[goldstategop]

Its completely inexcusable. I guess it wasn't his place to demonstrate it for the innocent victims. But hey like they say one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. No wonder Straw felt compassion for those initiated into homocide bombings.

[pt17]

Looks like Straw'll manage to get in some PC even if it kills others.

[MadIvan]

Suicide bombers have been spoon fed a diet of hate since they day they were born. And obviously they lack the intelligence to discern this. My "compassion" for them is limited. However, I thoroughly despise the cynical and cowardly mullahs who are so willing to sacrifice the young, and not themselves, for the garbage they espouse.

Regards, Ivan