Straw condemns Hamas leader's assassination

The foreign secretary has condemned the assassination by Israeli forces of Hamas leader Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi.

Rantissi was among the Hamas leaders whose British assets were frozen by chancellor Gordon Brown last month.

"The British government has made it repeatedly clear that so-called targeted assassinations of this kind are unlawful, unjustified and counter-productive," said Jack Straw.

His comments were echoed by Donald Anderson, Labour MP for Swansea East and chairman of the Commons foreign affairs select committee.

"It will inflame passions and it will give another twist to this awful saga of atrocity and counter-atrocity," he said.

"These targeted assassinations clearly do not serve any purpose in terms of finding a way through this Middle East tragedy."

The helicopter missile attack against Rantissi, which also resulted in the deaths of two bodyguards, comes less than a month after the assassination of another Hamas leader, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, and is likely to lead to further criticism of Tony Blair's talks with President Bush last week.

They followed the president's announcement that he would support plans by Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon to withdraw from Palestinian land in the Gaza Strip, but retain settlements in the West Bank.

"Coming after the Bush endorsement of the Sharon plan, this assassination, which is illegal under international law, will confirm in the minds of the Palestinians and many in the Middle East that Israel has carte blanche," said Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman Sir Menzies Campbell.

"How can anyone expect moderate Palestinians to raise their heads above the parapet in these circumstances, when opinion in their community will be so outraged?"