UK minister rejects recognition of the Palestinian state
The Middle East minister of the UK has been asked by more than a dozen Members of Parliament (MPs) for the UK to recognise the Palestinian state, but he has indicated that this will not take place so soon, Middle East Eye reported on April 30th.
“We do wish to recognise a Palestinian state, and we wish to do so as a contribution to a two-state solution,” the minister, Hamish Falconer, said. He added that “practical measures” are still required before the UK can realize such a state.
Hamish Falconer, who is the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Middle East, made his remarks during a debate on April 29th. The MPs had urged the government to swiftly recognise a Palestinian state.
The memorandum confirms the UK’s conviction in “the alienable right of the Palestinian people” to form a sovereign nation. It supports a dual-state resolution as “the best way to achieve Palestinian statehood.”
It was paired with £101m for humanitarian aid, Palestinian financial progress and boosting Palestinian Authority leadership as well as reform.
In response to the calls from MPs, Falconer said: “We will make the judgment about when the best moment is to try to make the fullest possible contribution.”
Scottish National Party MP Chris Law stated he recently stood for the UK legislature at the Inter-Parliamentary Union. At the event, more than 1,200 legislators from 188 nations approved a united resolution endorsing a two-state approach. Regarding the UK’s stance, Law declared “there was plenty of notice of the UK not recognising a nation state.”
Most UN nations, exactly 147 of 193 countries, have acknowledged Palestinian statehood. Canada, Italy, and Germany are among those that still deny recognition.
Middle East Eye via AFP reported on April 10th, that the Palestinian Authority Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Varsen Aghabekian Shahin, showed support for France’s initiative to recognise Palestine.
President Emmanuel Macron declared Paris could officially acknowledge a Palestinian state by June. On April 9th, the Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar reacted to this development. He stated that such decisions and recognition “will be a prize for terror and a boost for Hamas.”
Falconer declared that despite many nations recognising a Palestinian state, “no Palestinian state is fully functioning.” He added that “many members have referred to some of the practical impediments, whether it is the removal of Hamas from the Gaza strip or the economic challenges that face the Palestinian territories in both the West Bank and Gaza.”
Middle East Eye, AFP
