Miliband in Mid East crisis talks

Foreign Secretary David Miliband has met the prime minister of the Palestinian Authority to discuss the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Israel closed its border crossings with Gaza on Friday in what it said was a bid to make Palestinian militants stop firing rockets into southern Israel. Large parts of the area, home to 1.5 million people, have since lost power as hospitals cancelled non-essential surgery and local residents stockpiled food.

At the meeting in London Salam Fayyad said: "In Gaza, life has become completely unbearable, and that situation should not be allowed to continue."

He agreed with Mr Miliband that the international community should urge restraint from both sides, but he added the authority was hampered by its lack of influence in Gaza.

Amid international protests, Israel has agreed to allow some fuel, medicines and food to be delivered into the Gaza Strip by the EU. A week's supply of industrial fuel will be provided for Gaza's main power plant, which shut down on Sunday.

Mr Miliband also stressed the importance of moving towards a two-state solution in the Middle East and called on the international community to urge restraint on all sides.

The EU and international agencies called the Israeli measures "collective punishment", which is banned under the Geneva Conventions.

Israel countered that conditions in Gaza never reached crisis levels and accused Hamas of exaggerating the impact of the closure.

Israeli government officials said future shipments would hinge on regular assessments of Gaza's humanitarian needs and on the number of rockets fired by Palestinian militants into the Jewish state.

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