The British House of Commons is scheduled to debate and vote Monday on a controversial backbench motion which calls for the government to recognise a Palestinian state.
However, the Labour Party appeared to effectively backtrack on a three-line whip it had imposed in favour of the motion following opposition from front bench MPs.
The motion, introduced by Labour backbencher Grahame Morris, chair of the Labour Friends of Palestine group, proposes “this House believes that the government should recognise the state of Palestine alongside the state of Israel.” Current government policy states that the UK “reserves the right to recognise a Palestinian state bilaterally … when it can best help bring about peace.”
The UK government has been relatively cool towards Palestinian unilateral moves in recent years, and has consistently said that negotiations with Israel are the best way forward. The UK abstained from a UN General Assembly vote which upgraded Palestine’s status at the UN to “non-member state” in November 2012, when the Palestinian Authority failed to provide assurances that it would return to peace talks.
A cross party groups of MPs has tabled an amendment which seeks to clarify that recognition should come, “on the conclusion of successful peace negotiations.” But despite fears that unilateral declaration of Palestinian statehood could help effectively absolve the Palestinian leadership from the need to negotiate with Israel, the Labour Party insisted on a three-line whip for its MPs to vote for the original motion. However, the Independent on Sunday reported that prominent Labour MPs, including Shadow Cabinet members, who strongly disagree with the motion, voiced their objection and subsequently the unusual decision was taken to allow them to stay away from today’s vote. Conservative and Liberal Democrat MPs will be allowed a free vote, and ministers will not vote on the motion.
Meanwhile a separate amendment, tabled by former Labour Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, and former Conservative International Development Minister Alan Duncan, proposes to add “as a contribution to securing a negotiated two-state solution.”
The Secretary-General of Israel’s Labour Party,Hilik Bar, has written a letter to Labour MPs urging them to vote against or abstain from today’s motion, saying “it does nothing to advance” peace, “in fact precisely the opposite.”