TONY BLAIR admitted yesterday that the Cabinet was split over his handling of Lebanon but continued his refusal to condemn Israel for its military tactics.

As more senior Labour figures condemned his stance, the Prime Minister said that differences of opinion in Labour ranks were unsurprising, but described as “complete rubbish” reports that Margaret Beckett, the Foreign Secretary, was among the rebels.

At his monthly press conference, Mr Blair said that a UN resolution, which would bring about an immediate ceasefire, could be agreed within days. That would would enable an international force to enter Lebanon and help the Government to establish control over its southern area.

But in a surprising admission of disunity, the Prime Minister acknowledged that Cabinet members opposed his approach. “I don’t doubt that there are people who disagree within the system and I have no doubt there are Cabinet ministers who have doubts about this or that aspect, possibly about the whole aspect of the policy,” Mr Blair said.

Criticism over Mr Blair’s handling of the crisis grew as his Cabinet colleagues remained silent. Lord Falconer of Thoroton, the Lord Chancellor, and Tessa Jowell, the Culture Secretary, remained the only two besides Margaret Beckett to give clear statements backing his stance.

More MPs and peers attacked Mr Blair’s approach, including Lord Ahmed of Rotherham, Britain’s first Muslim peer. “The perception among British muslims is that Tony Blair is the most proIsraeli Prime Minister in our history,” he said. “There is a growing view that the Labour Party is to blame for this situation . . . I feel very angry about what the Prime Minister is doing. I am receiving calls from all around the country from people who are appalled by what the Prime Minister is doing on behalf of Britain.”

Another peer added: “The whole thing is a tragedy and a farce. The whole Cabinet is responsible for not standing up to the Prime Minister.”

Michael Connarty, MP for Linlithgow and Falkirk East, said that it was too late to start talking about an immediate ceasefire. “All these deaths have occurred during the period in which he would not call for an absolute and immediate ceasefire,” he said. “It is embarrassing and . . . entirely unacceptable. I am beginning to worry that our Prime Minister does not care about what his backbenchers think or about what Parliament thinks any longer.”

Lord Paul of Marylebone said that the Prime Minister was allowing a tragedy to unfold. “It is so wrong that we are letting innocent people die. How many more innocent people are to be killed before we call for a ceasefire,” he said. “It is a human tragedy and we should not be part of it.” Iain Wright, MP for Hartlepool, supported Mr Blair. He said: “The Foreign Office and Number 10 have been trying to work diplomatically to get a sustainable peace. We can all shout for an immediate ceasefire but my concern is that it would not stop anything on the ground.”

The Prime Minister used his press conference to defend his decision to go on holiday this weekend. He said that he was able to stay touch with the situation, and that other world leaders involved in the UN resolution were already on holiday.

He said that when he returned from his break he would take a greater role in trying to find a solution to the issue of Palestine. He defended the US call for a new Middle East. “How can it possibly be a religious war when what we actually want is for Jew and Christian and Muslim to live in peace with each other as they do here in our country. The only people who are engaged in a war, voluntarily, are those people that committed the atrocities of 7/7 here, September 11 of 11/3 in Madrid and in countless other Arab and Muslim countries.”

However, fresh criticism over blanket support for the US was levelled at Mr Blair. Sir Rodric Braithwaite, former ambassador to Moscow and former chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee, said that Mr Blair’s “total identification” with US policy had wrecked Britain’s influence abroad and increased the likelihood of terrorism at home.

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