Members of Parliament Call for Britain to Recognize Palestinian State

London, MINA – A group of British lawmakers called on Britain to recognize a Palestinian state before Prince Charles’s visit to Israel and occupied Palestinian territories.

In a letter to The Times, lawmakers, along with figures from think tanks and critical groups, said the move had been long overdue and would help fulfill “the promise of Britain’s equal rights for people in two countries.”

The call came as the heir to the British throne would travel on Thursday to Israel and the occupied West Bank, thus quoted from Arab News.

On the visiting agenda, he will meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Bethlehem and Israeli President Reuven Rivlin in Jerusalem.

Prince Charles will also attend the World Holocaust Forum to mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp.

The letter said that since 2014 no significant progress had been made in the peace process, and Israel’s actions pushed the two-state solution out of reach.

“The illegal Israeli settlement, which was described by the Foreign Office as an attempt to undermine peace, is developing,” the letter said.

Among the signatories were Emily Thornberry, a candidate for Labor leadership, and Crispin Blunt, chair of the Conservative Middle East Council.

Husam Zomlot, a Palestinian envoy to Britain, welcomed the move but said full recognition from the British government should have taken place years ago.

“Recognition does not conflict with peace and negotiation,” Zomlot said.

He referred to the main argument used by the British not to take such a step. (T/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)