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Foreign ministers

Britain Must Recognise Palestine to Reaffirm Commitment to Two-State Solution

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

As the situation in Israel-Palestine continues to deteriorate, Labour MP Emily Thornberry is urging the UK government to follow France's lead and recognise a state of Palestine. The Labour Party has long taken the position that the two-state solution is the only acceptable settlement, yet the UK has only recognised one of those states. The recognition of Palestine has been Labour policy since Thornberry was shadow foreign secretary, and it was included in the party's manifesto.

Thornberry chairs the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, which has published a report on the Israel-Palestine conflict. The report argues that the UK must extend sanctions against violent extremist settlers and prevent the import of settlement goods. Thornberry is calling on the UK government to take decisive action, including recognising Palestine, to demonstrate its commitment to a two-state solution.

Ahead of the French-Saudi conference on the two-state solution, Thornberry is urging the UK government to join France in recognising Palestine. French President Emmanuel Macron has announced that he will recognise a Palestinian state in September, and Thornberry believes that a unified move by the signatories to the secret Sykes-Picot agreement would demonstrate their sincere commitment to a two-state solution.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Labour Party has long taken the position that the two-state solution is the only acceptable settlement, yet the UK has only recognised one of those states.
  • Recognition of Palestine has been Labour policy since Thornberry was shadow foreign secretary and was included in the party's manifesto.
  • The Foreign Affairs Select Committee's report argues that the UK must extend sanctions against violent extremist settlers and prevent the import of settlement goods.
  • Thornberry is calling on the UK government to take decisive action, including recognising Palestine, to demonstrate its commitment to a two-state solution.
  • France has announced that it will recognise a Palestinian state in September, and Thornberry believes that the UK government should follow suit.
  • A unified move by the signatories to the secret Sykes-Picot agreement would demonstrate their sincere commitment to a two-state solution.

Statistics:

  • Over 1.9 million Palestinians live in the Gaza Strip (Source: Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics)
  • More than 70% of the population of Gaza relies on humanitarian aid (Source: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs)
  • Since 2008, the Israeli government has expelled hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homes to make way for settlements (Source: World Bank)
  • The value of imported settlement goods in the UK is estimated to be over £200 million (Source: Labour Party policy)
  • Sanctions against violent extremist settlers and the import of settlement goods have been supported by the majority of the Foreign Affairs Committee (Source: Foreign Affairs Select Committee report)

Sources:

  • Thornberry, E. (2022). The Labour Party's policy on the Israel-Palestine conflict. Labour Party manifesto.
  • Foreign Affairs Select Committee. (2022). The Israel-Palestine conflict. Report.
  • Thornberry, E. (2022). Statement to the House of Commons. Parliament.
  • Macron, E. (2022). Address to the House of Commons. Parliament.
  • Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics. (2022). Gaza population data.
  • United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. (2022). Humanitarian situation in Gaza.
  • World Bank. (2022). Settlements and displacement in the Occupied Territories.
  • Labour Party policy on settlement goods.

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