British vote brings Palestinians one step closer to statehood
Although the vote by the British Parliament to recognize the state of Palestine is nonbinding, it adds momentum to the Palestinian push for statehood.
After debate ended Oct. 13 in Westminster and the votes were cast, 274 British members of Parliament (MPs), representing major parties as well as diverse communities, passed a motion calling on their government to recognize the state of Palestine.
"The vote is symbolic, but the discussion is essential," Manuel Hassassian, the Palestinian ambassador to the United Kingdom, had told Al-Monitor on Oct. 12, the day before the motion by the Labor Party backbencher Grahame Morris was slated for a debate and vote. "It is not a binding vote, but it will send a strong message to the British government and to the world."
Hassassian, speaking by phone from his London home, had said he was sure that most members of the Labor Party would vote for the motion, because their leader, Ed Miliband, "had on three recent occasions spoken in favor of recognizing Palestine." Labor's official position was posted by shadow Foreign Secretary Alexander Douglas on the party's website.
Palestinians were also encouraged by a column in the British press by Vincent Fean, a former UK consul general who served in Jerusalem between 2010 and 2014, and by a statement issued by Catholic and Anglican churches in support of a vote for Palestine. As many as 350 Israelis, including former ministers, generals and members of the Knesset, publicly called for UK recognition of Palestine. Scottish External Affairs Minister Humza Yousaf also announced support for the vote.
