Blair: Do not forget Israeli victims of terror attacks

Tony Blair made a heartfelt call for an end to Palestinian terrorist attacks on Israel last night and said the IRA bombings of the 1970s were "a mere fraction of what Israel has suffered''.

The Prime Minister, addressing a meeting of Labour Friends of Israel in Blackpool, urged the British public not to forget the suicide attacks Israel has been subjected to when criticising Israeli aggression towards the Palestinians.

"When we are worrying about the actions that Israel is taking I think sometimes we in Britain should think back to the 1970s when we were subject to what for us was an extraordinary terrorist campaign by the IRA at that time. And yet actually if we proportion it up in terms of our population, it was a mere fraction of what Israelis have suffered.''

His remarks delighted his pro-Israeli audience but are likely to dismay some British Muslims. Mr Blair, who was accompanied by his wife Cherie, condemned Palestinian terrorist attacks and said that their "sheer arbitrary nature'' was despicable. "I only wish we could get to a situation where people could see that terrorism is the obstacle to a proper solution,'' he said.

Mr Blair said the solution to the Middle East conflict was a "secure Israel'' and a "viable Palestinian state''. He added that it was only by Israelis and Palestinians working together that they could create a peace of "lasting value".

Mr Blair also praised the contribution of Britain's Jewish community. He said he shared their "principles of solidarity and justice for all" and payed tribute to their work in the charitable sector.

Earlier yesterday Charles Clarke, the party chairman, spoke at the inaugural meeting of Muslims for Labour and said that he would work to ensure that the Muslim community's views were more fully represented in the Labour Party.