The Guardian reported Saturday that nearly 60 British Labour lawmakers have demanded that the UK government immediately recognize Palestinian statehood and take urgent measures to stop Israel’s reported plans in Gaza.
According to report, the letter was organised by the Labour Friends of Palestine and the Middle East and signed by 59 MPs from centrist and left-wing factions.
It was sent to Foreign Secretary David Lammy on Thursday.
The MPs urged Lammy to act without delay to block Israel’s proposal to build a “humanitarian city” of tents in Rafah’s ruins, warning it would forcibly displace civilians and erase Palestinian presence.
“It is with great urgency and concern that we are writing to you regarding the Israeli defence minister’s announcement on Monday of his plans to forcibly transfer all Palestinian civilians in Gaza to a camp in the ruined city of Rafah without allowing them to leave,” the letter stated, describing the move as “ethnic cleansing.”
The legislators said the UK should respond by reinstating funding for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), supporting efforts to release captives, and imposing a trade blockade on goods produced in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
“By not recognizing (Palestine) as a state, we undermine our own policy of a two-state solution and set an expectation that the status quo can continue and see the effective erasure and annexation of Palestinian territory,” the MPs wrote.
Britain’s new Labour administration has not yet officially changed its stance on Palestinian statehood.
The genocidal Israeli war in Gaza has now neared its second year, marked by widespread displacement, destruction of infrastructure, and the collapse of ceasefire negotiations.