The British MP representing two of London's primary Jewish neighborhoods resigned as a parliamentary private secretary on Monday, in direct protest of the UK's vote to recognize "Palestine."
Following the resignation - which he announced on Twitter - MP Mike Freer stated he had no regrets.
“I had to vote and it was therefore easy to quit," Freer told the British Jewish News daily on Tuesday. “It would have been easy to hide behind the protocol but the two-state solution we all want to see should be the end not start of the process. The Government had to follow the protocol but the irony is that I had to resign to support government policy."
Freer, who will continue to serve as an MP for his North West London constituency, added that his decision was not only based on the views of his constituents, but also on his personal views regarding the Middle East.
"I’ve been a supporter of Israel and the two-state solution long before getting involved with Finchley and Golders Green," he said. "This decision was rooted in my personal beliefs, not just the constituency.”
Freer also spoke out against the vote in general, noting that it could legitimize Hamas terror even more in global politics.
"This will, in my view, set back the process because Hamas will think it can get what it wants without negotiations," he lamented.
He has no regrets about quitting, in any event.
"That’s how I know I’ve done the right thing," he said. "I’ll be sad to stop working with Nick Boles who is both a capable minister and a genuinely nice person, but I’ll continue to be a hard-working constituency MP.”
Freer's move is the first sign of outright backlash against London over the vote, which saw the UK recognize the Hamas-Palestinian Authority (PA) "unity government" as "Palestine" on Monday night in a landslide vote of 274 to 12. The resolution, while non-binding, still sets a political and diplomatic precedent, experts say.
Freer's comments also surface just hours after a London source told Arutz Sheva that several MPs abstained the vote due to "fear of confrontation" - and that it could signal a dangerous future for London Jewry.
"Today Muslims are taking over large areas in London, as well as large areas in Europe," the source reflected. "ISIS is also starting to bud in the UK. Whether Britain will not be determined enough to face terrorism will be revealed, once again, in a few years in London."
"Anyone who lives in London and has a big heart feels concern for his children and grandchildren who will suffer the London Muslim takeover, as well as of all Europe as a whole," he continued. "It's a shame world leaders lend a hand, passively or actively, to Muslim organizations whose goals are clear."