Sir Keir Starmer is coming under even more pressure to immediately recognise Palestine as a state, this time from the Scottish Labour leader and all his Labour MSPs.
Some 21 Scottish Labour MSPs, including deputy leader Jackie Baillie, have signed a statement urging the prime minister to recognise Palestine.
Middle East latest: Pressure on Starmer to recognise Palestinian state
They wrote: “Our position is clear and longstanding. The UK should recognise the State of Palestine, to uphold Labour’s manifesto commitment and to preserve the two-state solution.
“In the face of mass atrocities in Gaza and accelerated annexation of the West Bank, the demand for action is immediate and indisputable. This is an existential moment for the Palestinian people.
“Recognition is not about rewarding Hamas, who need to immediately release all hostages and play no further role in Gaza. Recognition makes clear the Palestinian Authority’s de jure administration of Gaza and sets out a path to move towards de facto control in the nearest possible future.
“State recognition must be the first step – not the end goal – of a peace process that has been deferred for far too long. It should allow two equal sides to negotiate peace, security, prosperity and equal rights for all. The Arab Peace Initiative outlined a comprehensive plan that can guarantee security, recognition and bilateral relations, with the full support of the region.
“We urge the British government to take this step, which would be backed by a majority of the Labour movement.”
It comes after 221 MPs from nine parties signed a letter addressed to the prime minister on Friday calling for the same request. It was coordinated by a senior Labour politician and chair of the International Development Committee, Sarah Champion.
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The Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar, had already made the demand for Palestinian statehood shortly before the prime minister announced he would hold emergency talks with his French and German counterparts about the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza.
That call is yet to take place but Sir Keir released a statement on Friday calling the situation in Gaza “appalling” and “unrelenting”.
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He has so far rejected all calls to back Palestinian statehood. The government says it is already providing funding for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees and working to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas, but immediate recognition of Palestinian statehood will be a much more controversial move.
Ministers have indicated their plan to recognise Palestine would be “at a time that is most conducive to the peace process” without further clarity on when that might be. They have also indicated it would not be suitable to speculate about future sanctions, as this could reduce their impact.
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In a tweet, Mr Sarwar said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had broken international law and accused him of having “no interest” in a peaceful resolution to the crisis.
The government last month sanctioned two Israeli ministers over their comments about the war in Gaza in a significant break with Donald Trump and the US. Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich had their assets frozen and have been banned from entering the UK.
