Overwhelming support for UK government to recognise Palestine’s statehood
Words of wisdom? This evening’s vote was not about freeing Palestine but about recognising it as a state in its own right. That being said, Mandela’s words provide a possible context for the decision.
MPs have voted overwhelmingly in favour of a motion calling on the government to recognise Palestine as a state.
The House voted by 274 to 12 to adopt the motion, which states that “this House believes that the government should recognise the state of Palestine alongside the state of Israel”.
It was amended to include the words “as a contribution to securing a negotiated two-state solution”.
The vote is non-binding on the UK government but may be influential internationally. An initial amendment would have had the UK government recognising Palestine on the conclusion of peace negotiations with the Israeli government but this was not selected for debate.
Among the 274 MPs who voted in favour of recognising Palestine was Labour leader Ed Miliband, who has been repeatedly reviled by many of his political opponents as a Zionist. The move makes a mockery of such people and their displays of outrage.
Your comments are invited.
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I watched the last 5 hours of the debate. It was fantastic!
I applaud your stamina!
About bloody time!
A step in the right direction.
Time the licences for arms that are used in genocide are revoked and the £12bn in arms to Israel stopped.
I forget the name of the general talking about the plans for the next Gaza war and the ICC prosecuting Kenyatta for crimes against humanity and quietly dropping the charges against Israel.
“as a contribution to securing a negotiated two-state solution”.
Have you seen wants left of Palestine? this is a joke,and “it’s non-binding” what ever that means. It may be symbolic but it’s woefully too late , If we had done this 40 years ago, then maybe Palestinians might be able to visit their family in the next village without going thru turnstiles,, might be able to grow something, because the Israelis have stolen all the water sources. It’s laughable you suckers!!!! And Gaza, the worlds biggest prison?
The legit representative, Hamas are not recognised. there can be no ‘two state solution’ because the Palestinian state simply does not exist.
A parliament (congress) of baboons.
If we’d had a Labour government two years ago when most of the other UN countries decided to recognise Palestine, we wouldn’t be discussing this now. It’s possible also that this could have had major influence over the international situation (the UK being the country that controlled the disputed land area before Israel was formed) and the situation today may have been very much different.
The part you quote is the amendment that was tacked on to the original motion – one of several that were submitted. The original amendment would have had us recognising Palestine after a two-state solution had been negotiated – which, knowing the current government of Israel, might never happen! With the motion – as approved by Parliament – being for it to happen in order to show the international community that the UK supports a negotiated settlement, it becomes much more likely that Parliament (especially a Labour Parliament, if elected next May) will ratify it as the will of the nation, and that this will act as leverage for such negotiations to take place.
It is tragic that the UK has twiddled its thumbs over this matter for so long. There is no excuse for that. But it is important that this little victory should be seen as a positive step on the way to ending this tragedy, so that people on both sides will be able to live peacefully – or at least, as peacefully as possible.
No doubt we will be branded Anti Semites for supporting the recognition of a Palestinian state, this attitude seems to have become the norm with anyone that is appalled by the loss of life involved.