The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, the Rt Rev Alan McDonald, has said that he found it “almost unbelievable” that the British Prime Minister Tony Blair, has not yet responded to his letter sent on 18 July, which called for a ceasefire in the Middle East.

The letter, sent nearly a month ago now, also asked Blair what steps the government was taking to address the deteriorating situation in Lebanon.

Mr McDonald said that the cursory acknowledgement of his letter from Downing Street, indicated that a Minister from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office would respond. Twenty-four days later and neither the Prime Minister nor anyone else has responded.

"It is unacceptable that the Prime Minister chose not to respond personally to the concerns of Church of Scotland members but much worse is the apparent decision not to call for a cease fire - which becomes more crucial with every passing day - and to let daily aggression and violence against innocent men, women and children in Lebanon, Israel and Gaza continue," said the Moderator.