A Member of Parliament in London refuses to back down from her claim of yesterday that she would consider becoming a suicide bomber if she were an Arab living in the Palestinian Authority. Liberal Democrat MP Jenny Tonge originally made the remarks before a pro-Palestinian group, but even after word got out and caused controversy, she told Sky News that she stands by her words. "I think if I had to live in that situation - and I say that advisedly - I might just consider becoming one [a suicide terrorist] myself," Tonge said. She later added, "What I said was that I do not condone suicide bombers. But I understand why people out there become suicide bombers."



Labour peer Lord Janner, chairman of the Holocaust Educational Trust in the United Kingdom, said in response, "For a member of either House of Parliament to say she has sympathy with this is awful." Tonge has been known for her sharp tongue, speaking out in the past in favor of legalized marijuana and other controversial issues. James Purnell, who is leading a delegation of Labour MPs to Israel, said, "We have met victims of suicide terrorism from both sides. They would be appalled by what Jenny Tonge has said."