UK seek to defuse Israeli anger at Straw comments

Britain last night sought to soothe diplomatic tensions with Israel sparked by comments on the Middle East peace process by British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw.

In a BBC World Service interview earlier this week, Mr Straw said there was concern in the Arab world “that the West has been guilty of double standards - on the one hand saying the UN Security Council resolutions on Iraq must be implemented; on the other hand, sometimes appearing rather quixotic over the implementation of resolutions about Israel and Palestine”.