Departing British envoy criticizes Israel

JERUSALEM, July 30 (UPI) -- The departing British ambassador to Jerusalem blamed Israeli policy for making Hamas stronger in Gaza in a farewell interview this week.

Tom Phillips, who will next become ambassador to Saudi Arabia, told The Jerusalem Post the blockade of Gaza created a "Hamas-controlled tunnel economy." He said the destruction of the private economy has meant the only role models are Hamas functionaries and militants.

"Although one understood all the political pressures that were leading Israel to that situation, the fact is, it was causing significant humanitarian concerns," Phillips said. "Also it was creating, in psychological terms, another generation of people that are not going to feel that friendly about Israel."

Phillips spoke to the Post on Wednesday, a day after Prime Minister David Cameron, on a trip to Turkey, described Gaza as a "prison camp." The Anti-Defamation League accused Cameron of "inflammatory rhetoric," while the British Zionist Federation said Gaza residents have a better life than people in Turkey.