The Guardian reports that nearly 60 Labour MPs are calling on the UK government to immediately recognise Palestine as a sovereign state, following comments from Israel’s defence minister outlining plans to forcibly relocate Gaza’s entire population to a camp on the ruins of Rafah.
In a letter sent Thursday to Foreign Secretary David Lammy, a cross-section of centrist and leftwing Labour backbenchers accused Israel of engaging in ethnic cleansing in Gaza.
The MPs called for urgent action to halt what they described as a catastrophic policy, and urged the UK to formally recognise a Palestinian state without delay.
“It is with great urgency and concern that we are writing to you regarding the Israeli defence minister’s announcement on Monday of his plans to forcibly transfer all Palestinian civilians in Gaza to a camp in the ruined city of Rafah without allowing them to leave,” the letter states.
They continue: “The defence minister’s plans have been described by a leading Israeli human rights lawyer, Michael Sfard, as ‘an operational plan for crimes against humanity. It’s about population transfer to the southern tip of Gaza in preparation for deportation outside the strip.’”
“Though an accurate description, we believe there is a clearer one. The ethnic cleansing of Gaza.”
The letter follows a joint press conference this week in London where French President Emmanuel Macron publicly urged the UK to recognise Palestine. Macron, at the close of his three-day state visit, said: “Calling today for a ceasefire in Gaza without any condition is telling the rest of the world that for us as Europeans, there is no double standard. As we are attached to human lives, as we are attached to territorial integrity, we want the ceasefire, no discussion.”
He added: “Today, working together in order to recognise the state of Palestine and to initiate this political momentum is the only path to peace.”
The Labour MPs’ letter outlines five demands to ministers. Some, such as continued UK support for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) and efforts to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas, are already part of government policy.
Others go further, including a proposed trade embargo on Israeli settlements in the West Bank and immediate recognition of Palestinian statehood. “By not recognising Palestine as a state, we undermine our own policy of a two-state solution and set an expectation that the status quo can continue and see the effective erasure and annexation of Palestinian territory,” the MPs wrote.
The government has so far maintained that any recognition of Palestine should be coordinated with other Western allies and timed “at the point of maximum impact.”
A spokesperson for the Foreign Office said: “We are committed to recognising a Palestinian state and to doing so when it will have most impact in support of a peace process.”
Several European countries have already granted such recognition. While France has not formally done so, it is actively lobbying the UK and other nations to make a joint move.
This is the second letter from Labour MPs in recent weeks calling for formal recognition of Palestine, but the first time signatories have chosen to go public with their names. The letter was organised by Labour Friends of Palestine and the Middle East, and was signed by 59 MPs, including co-chairs Sarah Owen and Andrew Pakes.
Other signatories include Liam Byrne, chair of the business select committee; Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi; and prominent backbenchers such as Stella Creasy, Clive Lewis, Diane Abbott, and Dawn Butler.
