British lawmakers on Monday voted in favor of recognizing 'the state of Palestine'. While the move is not binding for the government it showed that a majority of UK politicians are very critical of Israel.
The United Kingdom currently does not classify Palestine as a sovereign state.
Prime Minister David Cameron abstained from the vote, which was called by a lawmaker from the opposition Labor Party, and Cameron's spokesman earlier said that foreign policy would not be affected whatever the outcome.
Opening the debate, Grahame Morris, the Labour Party lawmaker who promoted it, said Britain had a “historic opportunity” to take “this small but symbolically important step” of recognition. “To make our recognition of Palestine dependent on Israel’s agreement would be to grant Israel a veto over Palestinian self-determination,” said Morris, who is the chair of a group called Labor Friends of Palestine.
Sir Richard Ottaway, a Conservative MP and chairman of the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, said that he had “stood by Israel through thick and thin, through the good years and the bad,” but now realized “in truth, looking back over the past 20 years, that Israel has been slowly drifting away from world public opinion.” “Under normal circumstances, I would oppose the motion tonight; but such is my anger over Israel’s behavior in recent months that I will not oppose the motion. I have to say to the government of Israel that if they are losing people like me, they will be losing a lot of people.”
The final text of the resolution, which passed by 274 votes to 12 stated: "That this House believes that the Government should recognize the state of Palestine alongside the state of Israel as a contribution to securing a negotiated two-state solution."
The vote comes just as Sweden's new center-left government is set to officially recognize Palestine, a move that has been condemned by Israel, which argues that an independent Palestinian state could only be achieved through bilateral negotiations.
In reaction, the Board of Deputies of British Jews issued the following statement: "The Board of Deputies and the vast majority of British Jews support a two-states solution, in line with Israeli and British government policy. This evening’s vote was a statement of intent, which says nothing about the timing for recognition of Palestinian statehood. We understand, therefore, the desire of some MPs to use it to express their support for a two-states solution, although we are concerned that the vote will be misused to undermine meaningful negotiations.
"Ultimately, a just and sustainable peace for the region, based on mutual recognition and respect, can only be achieved through negotiations. As a result, we believe that the vast majority of British MPs - however they voted tonight - will continue to support and press for the speedy resumption of the peace process and we support that objective."
