Nearly 60 Labour MPs have urged the UK government to immediately recognise Palestine as a state, warning that Gaza is being ethnically cleansed. In a letter to Foreign Secretary David Lammy, the MPs condemned Israel's defence minister's plan to forcibly transfer all residents of Gaza to a camp in the ruined city of Rafah.
The letter, organised by Labour Friends of Palestine and the Middle East, was signed by 59 MPs including Sarah Owen, Andrew Pakes, Liam Byrne, and Diane Abbott. It calls for five measures, some of which the government is already pursuing, such as funding for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa) and securing the release of hostages held by Hamas.
Other demands are more controversial, including imposing a trade blockade on Israeli settlements in the West Bank and immediate recognition of Palestinian statehood. The MPs argue that failing to recognise Palestine undermines the two-state solution and sets an expectation that the status quo can continue.
The government has stated it is committed to recognising a Palestinian state but only when it will have the most impact in support of a peace process, and in conjunction with other Western countries. French President Emmanuel Macron, during a state visit to the UK, also called for the recognition of Palestine as the only path to peace.
