In response to the pressure mounting on Israeli Prime Minister Keir Starmer to take concrete steps in the wake of Israel’s ongoing conflict with Gaza, more than 200 British lawmakers have urged the British government to recognize a Palestinian state.
In advance of a UN conference on Palestine the following week, 221 MPs from all political parties sent an open letter to Starmer’s Labour government asking for recognition of a Palestinian state on Friday.
The UK Government will be the subject of the conference’s statement, outlining both how and when it will implement its long-standing commitment to a two-state solution and how it will collaborate with international partners to make this a reality.
We urge you to take the decision because we recognize that the UK does not have the resources to create a free and independent Palestine. However, due to our historical connections and membership in the UN Security Council, we do not think it is possible to do so.
According to Labour MP Sarah Champion, the signatories included members of the Greens, Labour, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats, the SNP, and the Conservatives.
The Gaza Strip’s ongoing bombardment and blockade, which has caused a deadly starvation crisis, is raising public outcry in the UK and around the world.
The Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary have been urged to acknowledge Palestine as a state by 221 MPs from 9 different parties in a joint letter. twitter.com/b2hbX2XCGR
Additionally, it comes one day after French President Emmanuel Macron declared that France would recognize Palestine at the UN in September.
In a social media post on Thursday, Macron stated, “I have decided that France will recognize the State of Palestine in line with its historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East.
“This solemn announcement will be made in front of the UN General Assembly in September.” The need to put an end to the conflict in Gaza and provide relief for the country’s citizens is now top of mind.
Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, were upset about Macron’s announcement, which he claimed “rewards terror.”
However, Netanyahu has received a lot of negative feedback about Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza, which has resulted in the deaths of more than 59, 000 Palestinians since it started in October 2023.
The UN and leading human rights organizations report that many Palestinian children are currently suffering from severe malnutrition and are at risk of dying as a result of Israel’s blockade of the enclave.
Starmer stated in a statement on Friday that “the horrifying scenes in Gaza are unrelenting.”
He claimed that Israel’s excessive military escalation in Gaza, the continued hostage-taking of hostages, the starvation and denial of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people, and the rise in violent extremist settler groups are all indefensible.
Starmer instead stated that he was working “on a path to peace in the region” rather than announcing plans to recognize a Palestinian state.
According to him, “That path will provide the concrete steps needed to bring the ceasefire to a lasting resolution.”
One of those steps is the recognition of a Palestinian state. That is all I can say. However, it must be a component of a larger plan that Palestinians and Israelis can both benefit from fortifying a two-state solution.
In response to a protest outside Starmer’s London residence on Friday afternoon, Al Jazeera’s Milena Veselinovic reported that demonstrators “outraged” the British government’s response to the dire situation in Gaza.
One of the things that many of them feel powerless is gather here, make as much noise as possible, and hope that the people in power will notice,” she said.
They want Keir Starmer to use more of his influence and the power to put an end to this, according to them.
The British government has been receiving increasingly protracted calls to support Israel and impose an arms embargo against the nation in addition to recognizing a Palestinian state.
As Starmer prepares to meet with US President Donald Trump, who is visiting Scotland on Friday, Veselinovic described Starmer as being in “a difficult diplomatic situation.”
She noted that Trump has criticized the French president’s decision and added pressure on the UK, which is a close ally of both France and the US, to recognize a Palestinian state.
She said, “It does seem like a gulf is emerging here over what the overall European stance is, which is much more in line with what UN aid agencies are saying is happening on the ground in Gaza, and the American position, which seems almost 100 percent back whatever is the Israeli government’s version of events is,” she said.
Source: Aljazeera
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