Meeting of the Parliament 21 April 2015
I warmly welcome the opportunity to participate in this debate on an issue of such international importance and warmly congratulate Sandra White on securing time in the Parliament to air the cause of justice for the Palestinian people, which is an essential prerequisite for a lasting peace in the middle east.
The position of the United Nations, which is clearly expressed in resolution 242, is in essence to support a viable Palestinian state coexisting alongside a secure Israel. That resolution’s objective continues to be backed by communities across Scotland, throughout the UK and internationally.
The Church of Scotland’s position is stated clearly in the message that all members have received from the Rev Sally Foster-Fulton, which says:
“We reaffirm the ... position of the Church of Scotland that Israel is a country”
and
“We reaffirm the historic commitment of the Church of Scotland to a State of Palestine with the same rights and responsibilities”.
The position of the Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church is also unequivocal. When the matter was debated at Westminster in October, the bishops of Coventry and Clifton published a joint letter that said:
“it is the reasonable aspiration of all peoples to belong to a state”
and
“we believe Palestinians should also have a state that they can at long last call home.”
As members know, those sentiments are shared by people of all faiths and none across all our communities. We have all seen the letter that was circulated by retired ambassador Dr Alon Liel, which was signed by 1,000 citizens of Israel. It states the wish for a safe and thriving Israel and recognises that the fulfilment of that wish is inextricably linked to and dependent on
“the existence of a Palestinian state alongside Israel”.
The letter adds that
“Israel should recognise the state of Palestine and Palestine should recognise the state of Israel, based on the June 4th, 1967 borders.”
I believe that the overwhelming majority of the international community agree with that position. The overwhelming vote of the UN General Assembly in 2012—by 138 votes to nine—is clear evidence of support for recognition of the Palestinian state. The Scottish Labour Party, the Labour Party and the labour and trade union movement across the UK have a record of strong support for the Palestinians, who for decades, as we have heard, have endured military occupation in the West Bank and Gaza. The latter is under almost total blockade and is still suffering from the effects of last year’s military action by the Israeli state, when thousands—the majority of them civilians—were maimed or killed.
That principled position was clearly demonstrated in the vote at Westminster last year, when the parliamentary Labour Party voted overwhelmingly to recognise a Palestinian state and members of all other parties supported that principled stance. Will such votes and what we support today lead to the objective that is shared by all who wish to make peaceful progress towards the aim of resolution 242? Of course not. However, they will preserve the objective of a two-state solution.
Recognition will restate that hope. Recognition is necessary, not sufficient. It is the precursor to a reinvigorated peace process. It will be a clear and visible indication of the serious intent of the UK and the wider international community not to allow Mr Netanyahu to believe that we will stand idly by and allow him to block the road to peace and justice in the middle east.
I hope that Ed Miliband will become the Prime Minister in 17 days’ time—other members’ views may differ—and that the recognition of the state of Palestine, which is contained in Labour’s manifesto, will be one of his first foreign policy initiatives. It is long overdue. As Douglas Alexander said at the Labour Party conference,
“recognition of Palestine is not a gift to be given, but a right to be had.”
17:38