Israeli massacres effects on counter-terrorism efforts

British government efforts to counter terrorism have been set back by Israel's latest massacre of more than 1,300 Palestinians in Gaza, UK Security and Counter-terrorism Minister, Lord West has warned.

"The business in Gaza has not helped us at all in our counter-radicalism strategy," West said in an outspoken assessment of the terror risk facing Britain. "Without a doubt it will have set us back," he said.

"We have key people in the Muslim community who we are in dialogue with, and they are quick to let us know there is an issue that is causing us a worry," he said.

"They said it was coming over very badly," the minister warned.

"There is no doubt that when you see these pictures coming back (from Gaza), that in the mind of people making hate, there is a linkage between the US, Israel and the UK," he said.

His warning comes after Justice Minister Shahid Malik cautioned that there was 'immense anger' among the UK's two million Muslim communities over the Israeli massacres and that their 'patience is running out'.

"There is a real feeling of helplessness, hopelessness and powerlessness among Britain's Muslims in the context of Gaza," Malik said. "People have become so disillusioned that they almost appear to have stopped listening to politicians," he said.

Addressing a seminar on the adaptation of new buildings to the terror threat on Tuesday, the security minister was scathing about the assertion, made by former prime minister Tony Blair that foreign policy did not alter the UK's risk of a terror attack.

"We never used to accept that our foreign policy ever had any effect on terrorism," he said. "They [the Blair administration] were very unwilling to have any debate about how our foreign policy impacted on radicalization."

West, a former head of the British navy, who was brought in Gordon Brown's 'government of all talents' 18 months ago, claimed that the current was 'much clearer' on a linkage.

He admitted that the UK had struggled with comprehending the causes of terrorism, saying that they were 'so diverse'.

"We didn't understand it, we still don't totally understand it but we actually have a far, far better understanding than we did in the past," the security minister said. "To pretend what happens abroad has no impact is nonsense," he said.

Earlier this month, the head of MI5 security services, Jonathan Evans, said the Israeli killings in Gaza gave extremist groups in the UK more ideological ammunition.

Communities Secretary, Hazel Blears, has also expressed that she was "very concerned" that Israel's military offensive in Gaza could be used by extremists to recruit vulnerable young people.