Deputy Inna Gardiner, who formerly lived in the troubled state and has relatives there, said that she believed people backing one side or the other in the conflict when they have limited knowledge of its ‘nuances’ was ‘fuelling’ the problems.
Her comments come after members of the Jersey Palestine Solidarity Campaign called for the Island’s government to cut its ties with the Israeli government this week.
The group held a protest on Saturday in support of Palestine, following rocket attacks from both sides and Israeli air strikes being carried out against the Gaza Strip.
Deputy Gardiner said that with the violence escalating she had become concerned for the safety and welfare of family and friends in the country, pointing out it was not just Palestinians who were suffering.
‘I don’t think people should be judging the situation externally, when they don’t understand the nuances of it. They don’t speak Hebrew or Arabic and they have never lived there and had experience of it,’ she said. ‘Pontificating about the situation and taking sides just adds fuel and I would rather people make charitable donations to help resolve the situation than doing that.
‘Both Palestinians and Israelis have the right to live in peace, we are all people. Both Palestinians and Israelis have the right to live safely and not to live in fear.
‘There are extremists on both sides and people are suffering on both sides, and I want that to stop. If the situation was easy to resolve then it would have been resolved a long time ago.’
