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New Musical Express JANUARY 6, 2009 - by London Staff

BRIAN ENO CRITICISES ISRAEL OVER ITS GAZA CLASHES

Brian Eno has slammed Israel over the current conflict in the Gaza area, showing support for Palestine.

Speaking at a protest rally in London's Trafalgar Square on Saturday, January 3, the former Roxy Music star, who has just co-produced the new U2 album, claimed that Israel was to blame for the conflict.

"What we're seeing in Gaza is an experiment in provocation conducted by the Israeli government," he said. "You take one and a half million people, you stuff them into a small space, you deny them food, water, sanitation, medicine, and then act surprised when they get hostile.

"But you want that hostility, because that's the cue for you to act the victim. Israel is pretending to be a victim in a situation in which they are the oppressor.

"It's tragic that a country formed in the ashes of the holocaust should act in this way. It's heartbreaking. Why do the Israelis do it? What's the reason for creating this conflict?

"The reason is that under the cover of it they can continue to build settlements. They can continue to get large grants from the American government. They can continue to steal the homeland of the Palestinians, and continue to make a Warsaw ghetto in the Middle East.

"Please, all of you here [in Trafalgar Square], speak to your representatives, speak to your governments.

"I'm very happy to see there are a lot of Jewish people here, a lot of Arabic people from other countries, a lot of middle-class English people like me. This is a mass movement, let's keep it going."