London — The leader of Britain's Liberal Democrats demoted a member of Parliament on Friday who said she could imagine becoming a suicide bomber if she had to live like Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.
Liberal Democrat Leader Charles Kennedy said he had asked Jenny Tonge to step down as the party's spokesman on child issues in the House of Commons. She made the remark Wednesday at a meeting of the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign.
“Her recent remarks about suicide bombers are completely unacceptable,” Mr. Kennedy said in a statement. “There can be no justification, under any circumstances for taking innocent lives through terrorism.”
Ms. Tonge had said that life can be intolerable for Palestinians.
“This particular brand of terrorism, the suicide bomber, is truly born out of desperation,” she said. “Many, many people criticize. Many, many people say it is just another form of terrorism. But I can understand and I am a fairly emotional person and I am a mother and a grandmother.
"I think if I had to live in that situation, and I say this advisedly, I might just consider becoming one myself.
“And that is a terrible thing to say.”
