The Labour Party is willing to work with the government on any initiative it might take in international fora to mitigate the situation in Gaza and prepare the road for a solution to long-term peace.

Foreign affairs spokesmen George Vella and Luciano Busuttil said in a statement this morning the party was sad at the large number of victims, including civilians, who were affected by the current military actions.

The PL, they said, condemned all violence, wherever it was coming from and whatever its motive. It believed that violence generated more violence and this led to further deaths, more division and a lower chance that an agreement for peace would be reached.

While strongly and unreservedly condemning Israel’s military attacks on Gaza, it also condemned the rocket attacks by Hamas.

The PL expressed its solidarity with the Palestinians in their fight for fundamental rights and its belief in the right of the Israelis to have the state of Israel as their country.

It hoped that the forthcoming Palestinian elections would elect moderate leaders who would continue to seek a long-term solution through dialogue and persuasion.

The PL also hoped that Israel would choose leaders who believed that dialogue was better than the use of weapons, that they would be convinced, first and foremost, that the Palestinians deserved to be given their dignity back, to have their own land, their rights, and the opportunity to live in peace.

It appealed for all military action in the area to be halted and hoped for a ceasefire agreement and the reestablishment of talks which would lead to reciprocal respect and a plan of action leading to long term peace.

The party appealed to the UN Security Council and the EU to focus their attention on the situation and do their utmost to reduce human hardship.