Israel-Gaza conflict: MPs set to vote to recognise the state of Palestine

[Jefferson23]

MPs are on the verge of backing a historic parliamentary vote that would call on the British government to unilaterally recognise the state of Palestine. Politicians on both sides of the deeply divisive issue believe that the motion will be passed after Ed Miliband instructed his MPs to back it.

The resolution, due to be debated on Monday, also has the support of most Liberal Democrat MPs and a number of Tory backbenchers who have so far been given a free vote on the issue. Government ministers are expected to abstain.

While a vote in favour of Palestinian recognition would only be symbolic and not bind the Government it would nonetheless have profound international implications.

Last week Sweden became the first major EU country to announce that it intended officially to recognise the Palestinian state much to the fury of the Israeli Government, which called in the Swedish ambassador for a public reprimand.

in full: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/israelgaza-conflict-mps-set-to-vote-to-recognise-state-of-palestine-9785875.html

[Warpy]

1. That would be an enormous help, especially to the stateless people of Gaza

They'd still be poor, sitting in rubble, and under a blockade but at least they would have passports and would no longer be trapped there.

[Jefferson23]

2. Politically it could bring a bit of hope, yep. n/t

[oberliner]

3. They already have passports

Many of them are not poor, and almost none of them are they "sitting in rubble".

[Scootaloo]

4. Yes, there is little difference between Gaza and Monaco, I suppose

Gaza has nicer weather, even!

[Israeli]

5. Israeli public figures call upon Members of the British Parliament to vote in favor.....

.....of recognizing the State of Palestine.

363 Israeli public figures have signed a letter to the Members of the British Parliament, calling upon them to vote in favor of British recognition of a Palestinian State, to be created side-by-side with Israel.

The letter was handed on Sunday noon to representatives of the British MP’s supporting the motion, due to be voted tomorrow (Monday). The Israeli letter was initiated by Dr. Alon Liel, former Director-General of the Israeli Foreign Ministry; Prof. Amiram Goldblum, a founder of the Peace Now movement; and Yehuda Shaul of “Breaking the Silence”.

The letter reads: `We, Israelis who worry and care for the well-being of the state of Israel, believe that the long-term existence and security of Israel depends on the long-term existence and security of a Palestinian state. For this reason we, the undersigned, urge members of the UK Parliament to vote in favor of the motion to be debated on Monday 13th October 2014, calling on the British Government to recognize the State of Palestine alongside the State of Israel`.

Signatories include:

Nobel Prize Laureate (Economics) Daniel Kahneman

Six Laureates of the Israel Prize - Professors Alice Levy, David Har’el, Shimon Sandbank, Yehoshua Kolodny, Yona Rosenfeld and Yoram Bilu;

Two former ministers - Ran Cohen and Yossi Sarid, as well as four former Knesset Members - Uri Avnery, Yael Dayan, Mossi Raz and Naomi Chazan;

Former Ambassador and Director General of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, Dr. Alon Liel, as well as former Ambassador Ilan Baruch;

Gen. (ret.) Emanuel Shaked, former of the Paratooper Corps;

Former Attorney General Michael Ben-Yair;

Four writers – Yehoshua Sobol, Yehudit Kafri, Savyon Liebrecht and Amos Mokadi;

Professor Rafi Walden, Deputy Ditector of the Shiba Hospital and Chair of `Physicians for Human Rights`

Yuval Rahamim, Co-Chair of `Bereaved Families for Palestinian-Israeli Peace` and the grouop’s founder Yitzhak Frankenthal;

As well as many residents of Gaza border communities and other peace and social rights activists.

Source :

http://www.kibush.co.il/show_file.asp?num=66403