Israel wants to eradicate Gaza – of course we're right to recognise Palestine
5 min read
I’ve supported the recognition of Palestinian statehood for as long as I’ve been active in politics.
I was first asked about it publicly at a hustings over a decade ago. I had the same answer then as I do now: recognition has never been a gift to be given or to be earned. It is an inalienable right to be realised. This right to self-determination is there for two peoples, Israeli and Palestinian, and the only way to deliver lasting peace and security for both.
I wish we had done it sooner, but I welcome the decision by this Labour government to recognise the state of Palestine before September’s UN General Assembly.
Israel's government has made its intent clear: the complete eradication of Gaza and its people
Much debate has followed, but it is all too easy to lose sight of the importance of this step. Instead, we now find ourselves in a tangle of words without action: gifts and rights, recognition, and self-determination. This is not to say that language doesn’t matter – it absolutely does, not least in international diplomacy. I’ve heard hours of evidence as a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee about the minutiae of international agreements and legal rulings.
But in this context, in this rhetorical maze, where language inflames passions and opinions, it is easy to misread ‘recognition’ as just another oratorical move; a ‘card to play’. It is not, as Kemi Badenoch mistakenly suggests, "political posturing". Indeed, if recognition were only symbolic, it would have happened long ago.
This is a powerful step. A signal that the world is moving to correct a historical wrong. It brings with it real and meaningful consequences – that is why the Prime Minister has taken this decision.
Recognising the state of Palestine confirms that it is a subject of international law; enhances Palestine’s access to legal remedies, including strengthening its standing with the ICC and ICJ; triggers state-to-state obligations; and sends a strong international message that the only way forward is a two-state solution.
Recognition makes this clear by legitimising the Palestinian Authority and sustaining hope for Palestinians that there is another peaceful and more viable path to self-determination.
I've met with the Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority. He is under no illusions that they too need reform, and of the magnitude of the task ahead.
And this comes at an existential moment for the Palestinian people and for the two-state solution. According to Médecins Sans Frontières, we are witnessing in real time the creation of conditions for the eradication of Palestinian lives in Gaza.
Earlier this year, I told the Middle East minister that we needed to recognise the state of Palestine while there is still a state to recognise. That window is rapidly closing. The two-state solution only works if there a state for Palestinians left standing. The alarming language coming from the Israeli government suggests they intend to leave no person or state behind in Gaza.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed on Monday that a decision has been made in favour of a full occupation of the Gaza Strip, including military operations in areas where hostages are thought to be held. Israel's government has made its intent clear: the complete eradication of Gaza and its people. No one in the international community who wants peace should continue to support its direction of travel.
In this latest context, recognition of Palestine gives power to diplomatic mechanisms and produces obligations on the UK, delivering greater protections for the Palestinians. No one is pretending that statehood will end the starvation and humanitarian crisis in Gaza. It won’t – and it’s why we must continue to use all possible leverage to secure a ceasefire and unrestricted access for humanitarian aid, and to demand Israel cease its annexation of both Gaza and the West Bank.
Recognition makes clear that the UK does not acknowledge this Israeli government’s claim to all of Mandate Palestine and will never accept an outcome in which Israel illegally occupies Palestinian land.
In the same breath, we must not forget the deep roots of this conflict, and we must not stop talking about the plight of those still held hostage by Hamas. We are unequivocal that Hamas must be removed from leadership in Gaza as a key step towards a negotiated two-state solution.
Earlier this year, I visited Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. I saw with my own eyes the fear of settler violence inflicted on the Palestinians in the West Bank.
In Tel Aviv, I spoke with former hostages and the families of those who were still being held. The pain of these families, of the whole Israeli people, was palpable. We must remember that so many Israelis who do not want this war to continue are also struggling against a government that does not seem to be listening to them.
In Saudi and Jordan, Arab allies are standing ready to build regional peace and security – in an increasingly unstable world, Israel cannot turn its back on international alliances or continue on a path of isolation.
We are at an existential moment in this conflict. By acting now, at this moment, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is moving decisively to sustain the prospect of the two-state solution, shifting British foreign policy forward in leaps and bounds to demand a future in which Israelis and Palestinians have equal rights and mutual security.
This is a future worth fighting for, with all of the tools at our disposal and every diplomatic lever we have. When it comes to rights of statehood, it is a fundamental one, and to deny it is to deny the very existence of an entire people.
The world is watching. Do we want to look back on Palestine, as we did after atrocities like Rwanda, and say we are ashamed of our failure to act?
Uma Kumaran is Labour MP for Stratford and Bow
