Israeli President Shimon Peres addresses both houses of British parliament
as about 100 people from the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign and Jews for
Justice for Palestinians hold a protest outside.

LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (NOVEMBER 19, 2008) REUTERS-
Israeli President Shimon Peres gave a speech to both houses of the
British parliament on Wednesday (November 19) as about one hundred people
protested his address outside.

The Palestinian Solidarity Campaign (PSC) joined forces with Jews for
Justice for Palestinians to demonstrate in London's Westminster. An
unidentified member of Jews for Justice said Peres' presence at the British
seat of government was like "sticking two fingers up at Palestinian
democracy".

"President Peres of Israel is enjoying the privilege of
addressing both houses of parliament while around 45 parliamentarians are held
without charge in Israeli jails, without charge and without trial and without
prospect for release, and we are concerned that it is kind of sticking two
fingers up at Palestinian democracy," he said.

In his speech to parliament, Peres said both the House of Commons and
the House of Lords were at the frontline of democracy and carried great
political and moral weight,

"My Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen, we are at a crossroad, let's
choose hope over fear, change over despair. Success in the Middle East can
provide the world with energy it needs in times of crisis. I am grateful for
the privilege to address you in this distinguished and beautiful chamber. You
represent two great institutions, great institutions in the frontline, in the
fortress of democracy. Your call the world to the world, carries enormous
political and moral weight. The region needs your spirit, needs your voice,
needs your firm support as it marches ahead throughout a new dawn of peace. I
thank you very much," he said.

Earlier on Wednesday Peres accused Britain of a "painful
attitude" for urging the European Union to make sure that goods made in
Jewish settlements are not allowed into the bloc on preferential terms.
He was responding to a call by British Foreign Secretary David Miliband
for an EU-Israel trade agreement to be strictly enforced.

The agreement allows goods made in Israel to be imported into the
27-nation EU at reduced or nil rates of customs duty.

However, products of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank are
excluded from the benefits and must pay the full rate of duty.

Israel resealed border crossings with the Gaza Strip on Tuesday,
blaming continued rocket fire at its towns, despite warnings from world aid
groups of looming shortages of food and fuel in the coastal territory.

Wednesday was the president's third day of his trip to the UK. On
Thursday (November 20) he was expected to receive a knighthood from the
Queen.