The UK must now recognise Palestine, while it still can

Time and again, the UK’s actions in relation to the Israel-Palestine conflict have come too little, too late.

- EMILY THORNBERRY

Keir Starmer has an opportunity to act now. Britain must follow France and recognise a state of Palestine while there is still a Palestine to recognise.

The position of the United Kingdom has long been that the only acceptable settlement is the two-state solution. Yet we only recognise one of those states.

The recognition of Palestine has been Labour policy since I was shadow foreign secretary. It was in the manifesto on which we were elected last year. And immediate recognition is supported by the majority of the foreign affairs committee, which I chair, and which published a report into the Israel-Palestine conflict yesterday.

When I ask the government when it will happen, they tell me they will recognise at the moment of maximum impact. But we cannot wait forever for a perfect moment that may never come. I can think of many opportunities when recognition might have had a significant effect, had we taken that step. We cannot let another opportunity pass us by.