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Mr. Mark Lazarowicz (Edinburgh, North and
Leith) (Lab/Co-op): What assurance is my right
hon. Friend seeking from the Israeli Government that withdrawal from Gaza
will be co-ordinated with the Palestinian Authority and that it will be
the first step, not the last, to withdrawal from the occupied territories?
Mr. Straw (Foreign & Commonwealth Secretary):
The Israeli Government have described their withdrawal from Gaza, which
we welcome as a necessary but not a sufficient step on the implementation
of the road map, as a unilateral act. It is not being done in negotiation
with the Palestinians. We have, however, urged the Israelis better to co-ordinate
the withdrawal, and we have made clear our readiness to give active support
to the Palestinian Authority to ensure that a vacuum is not created by the
withdrawal of the Israel Defense Forces and that opportunities for the Palestinians
to run their own affairs and their own security are properly taken up.
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