A group of 59 Labour Party Members of Parliament has called on UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy and the Foreign Office to immediately recognize Palestine as a sovereign state.
In a letter sent this week, the left and center-leaning MPs, including several committee chairs, argued that “by not recognizing [Palestine] as a state, we undermine our two-state solution policy and establish an expectation that the status quo can continue and see the effective erasure and annexation of Palestinian territory.”
The MPs also proposed five measures to prevent the Israeli government from implementing its plan for Rafah. They expressed concern that Gaza is being “ethnically cleansed,” a claim strongly denied by Israel. The letter, organized by Labour Friends of Palestine and the Middle East group, described the Israeli plan as an attempt to “transfer the population to the southern tip of Gaza in preparation for deportation outside the strip,” terming this as “ethnic cleansing of Gaza.”
Israeli officials maintain their aim is to separate the civilian population from the militant group Hamas, which controls parts of Gaza and holds hostages abducted since the October 7 attack that sparked the war 21 months ago.
The call from Labour MPs follows similar sentiments expressed internationally. On Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron stated in a press conference with Sir Keir Starmer that “working together to recognize the state of Palestine and to start this political momentum is the only path to peace.” While France has not yet recognized Palestine as a state, Norway, Ireland, and Spain took this step last year.
