It is long overdue for the UK to recognise Palestinian statehood and join the over 130 countries that have already done so. This is something that I have advocated for my entire political life.
The only way to secure a meaningful and long-lasting peace in the region is for the UK to recognise a viable and sovereign Palestinian state, alongside a safe and secure Israel. Indeed, The Elders, a group of former senior UN diplomats, say that recognition is “an essential transformative step towards peace”.
There was supposed to be a UN conference in June, which was set to focus on securing a two-state solution. However, sadly, this conference was postponed due to the conflict that erupted between Israel and Iran.
I disagreed with the decision to postpone the conference, given the urgent need of the Palestinian people, however, the conference was rescheduled and it started yesterday.
I believe that this conference would be a prime opportunity for the UK, France, and other countries to finally recognise the State of Palestine. This is why:
- On 17 July, I wrote to the Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, and called on him to join with other countries at this conference and recognise Palestinian statehood.
- On 25 July, I signed a joint letter, with 220 other MPs, to the Prime Minister which called for the same thing.
I have posted copies of both of these letter below for you to see.
The joint letter was co-ordinated by Sarah Champion MP, and has now reached 255 signatures, which you can see on the most recent version of the letter.
I can assure you that I will continue to press the Government to finally recognise Palestinian statehood.
I will also take every opportunity, publicly and privately, to press the Government to do all it can to prevent the genocide of the Palestinian people, including taking concrete actions against the Israeli government.
