British MP Diane Abbott (pictured) is among 59 parliamentarians urging the UK government to immediately recognise Palestine as a state and take urgent action to halt what they describe as “ethnic cleansing” in Gaza. [Getty]
Nearly 60 UK Labour MPs have urged Foreign Secretary David Lammy and the Foreign Office to immediately recognise Palestine as a state, warning that Gaza is undergoing ethnic cleansing and calling for urgent diplomatic action.
In a letter reported by The Guardian on Saturday, the MPs demanded formal recognition of Palestinian statehood in direct response to the Israeli defence minister’s controversial plan to forcibly displace Gaza’s population into what he described as a “humanitarian city” built on the ruins of Rafah in southern Gaza.
On Monday, Israel Katz revealed that the plan would involve relocating around 600,000 Palestinians in an initial phase to a fenced-off zone constructed on Rafah’s rubble once a ceasefire is reached.
The area would subject civilians to strict security screening and restrict their movement, in what critics see as part of a broader effort to push Gaza’s residents out of the territory altogether.
The letter was organised by Labour Friends of Palestine and the Middle East and signed by 59 MPs, including the group’s co-chairs, Sarah Owen and Andrew Pakes.
Among the other signatories were Liam Byrne, chair of the Business Select Committee, Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, and prominent backbenchers such as Diane Abbott and Dawn Butler.
The MPs urged Lammy to take immediate diplomatic steps to prevent the Israeli government from proceeding with its controversial Rafah plan.
“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 stated.
The MPs added: “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,” it continued.
The letter urges ministers to take five key measures in response to the worsening situation in Gaza: To recognise the state of Palestine, continue support for the UN Palestinian refugees agency (UNRWA), secure the release of hostages, press for the full and unhindered resumption of humanitarian aid and conduct a full review and impose restrictions on trade with- and financial support for- illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
The government is already pursuing some of these measures, including the provision of funding to UNRWA and efforts to secure the release of captives held by Hamas since the 7 October 2023 attacks.
The MPs underlined in the letter that by the UK not recognising Palestine as a state, it would “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.”
Several European countries have already granted recognition to Palestine, while France, which has yet to do so, has recently increased pressure on Britain and other allies to act jointly.
The push follows French President Emmanuel Macron’s remarks at a joint news conference with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday, where he raised the prospect of France recognising Palestine as a state.
The UK government, under the Labour administration, has not yet formally changed its position on recognising Palestinian statehood.
