World Jewish News

British MPs urged to vote against motion calling for Britain to recognize Palestinian state

Pro-Israel groups in the UK have collected around 2,000 signatures on a petition urging members of the House of Commons to vote against a motion on Palestinian statehood in the British Parliament, the Jewish Chronicle reported.
British lawmakers will vote on Monday on whether the government should immediately recognize Palestine as a state, a move unlikely to shift official government policy but designed to raise the political profile of the issue.
The debate and vote are led by MP Grahame Morris from the opposition Labour party and other Pro-Palestinian MPs.
It is unlikely to win approval through the British parliament because it is at odds with official policy, but even if it did pass, it is non-binding and would not force the government to changes its diplomatic stance, Reuters said.
"We continue to believe that negotiations toward a two-state solution are the best route to meeting Palestinian aspirations in reality and on the ground," a Foreign Office spokesman stated.
Amost two dozen Members of the House of Commons who support Israel have tabled an amendment, calling for the formation of a Palestinian state only after a formal peace deal between the Israeli government and Palestinian Authority.
The director of the British Zionist Federation, Alan Aziz said his organization delivered individual letters to MPs urging them to support the amendment to the motion.
Co-signed by the Jewish Leadership Council, the letter states: “The only credible route to peace is through direct negotiation between the parties themselves, based on the principle of recognizing two states for two peoples.
“To grant Palestinians statehood at this premature juncture sends a harmful message that negotiations can be circumvented and dialogue ignored, rewarding intransigence over compromise.”
“The fact that a few hours after sharing adpetition urging the MPs to vote against the motion we have seen an explosion in the number of signatures highlights the strength of feeling in the community about this divisive and impractical motion,” Aziz said.
The debate in the UK comes as Sweden's new centre-left government has decied to officially recognise Palestine, a move that has been criticised by Israel. The first EU member state to make such a unilateral move.

EJP