UK recognition of statehood for Palestine is a victory for the people
Last week, the UK Labour government announced the most significant decision by a UK government regarding the path to peace in Israel and Palestine since the Oslo Accords of the 1990s.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced – in light of Israel's continued siege of Gaza and creeping occupation of the West Bank – that the United Kingdom will formally recognise the State of Palestine at the UN General Assembly this autumn.
It came just days after France said they would recognise the state of Palestine, and it was followed by Canada saying they would do the same.
This is an historic moment.
After decades of injustice, the people of Palestine will have their state recognised by the United Kingdom. As someone who has campaigned for Palestinian statehood since my teens, this is personal to me.
I've been to the West Bank and met the Palestinians who live every day in fear of settler violence and have to pass checkpoint after checkpoint to go to work or to access healthcare.
And I have helped deliver an energy generator to the Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City to allow medical procedures to take place. A hospital that has now been shamefully destroyed by Israeli forces.
This recognition of statehood is a victory for the people of Palestine and all those who have relentlessly campaigned for it globally.
This decision is not rewarding the terrorists of Hamas - it is about recognising the rights and the dignity of the people of Palestine and their right to live in freedom.
But while this decision is of seismic importance, the truth is that our priority must be ending the war and suffering right now.
We have all seen the horrifying scenes from Gaza on our televisions and phones.
Starving children. Grieving mothers. Whole towns left in rubble.
And now innocent Palestinian civilians killed in cold blood while queuing for food and medical aid. The situation is horrifying, and the world must not look away.
That's why we need to demand a ceasefire to end the killing now. An end to the blockade on vital medical aid. An end to missile fire into and out of Gaza. And for the free flow of food, medicine, energy and water.
Ending the suffering of the people of Gaza is the immediate priority. And it must be accompanied by the immediate release of the remaining Israeli hostages from captivity so they can be with their families where they belong.
We need peace and an end to the bloodshed right now.
Hamas is a terrorist organisation that committed atrocities on October 7th, 2023. That was the single largest loss of Jewish life in a single day since the Holocaust. They aren't interested in long-term peace and a two-state solution. We have to separate their actions from the Palestinian people who do not deserve this collective punishment.
But the truth is that Benjamin Netanyahu is not interested in peace either. It seems he would rather use war and violence to stay in power and out of jail.
The world now sees that he is not acting in the interests of the Israeli people who deserve to live in peace and security too.
That's why both the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice have said that there is a plausible case for genocide for the Israeli government to answer.
The only way we will get lasting peace for Israel and for Palestine is to end the violence.
To treat Israeli and Palestinian lives equally. And to reject the terrorism of Hamas and the despotism of the Netanyahu government.
Let's work together for lasting peace, dignity and freedom for Israel and for Palestine.
TRUMP IN SCOTLAND
A visit by Donald Trump never fails to grab a few headlines.
On his visit last week, the US President made his views known on a whole host of issues of a local, national and global variety.
I won't pretend to share all of his opinions – but one thing we do have in common is our love for Scotland.
There is no questioning the genuine affection Donald Trump has for this country. Time and time again he spoke warmly about his links to Scotland and his mother's childhood on the Isle of Lewis.
Whatever your views on the President, this is testament to Scotland's phenomenal reputation across the world.
Right across the world people know and love Scotland – our famous landscapes, our unique culture, our fantastic arts, and our world-class food and drink.
The strength of Brand Scotland is not just a source of soft power, but it is a huge economic asset.
I want to harness the strength of 'Brand Scotland' abroad to create jobs at home – from boosting exports to promoting tourism and attracting investment.
It's not just our world-renowned whisky and salmon - Scotland has so much to offer the world from so many sectors.
There is no shortage of talent or potential in Scotland – we just need a government with the ambition to match.
As First Minister I will stop at nothing to deliver the investment we need and to put Scotland back on the world stage.
THE FUTURE IS AI
Scotland is full of innovation and expertise.
The work done at the National Robotarium in Edinburgh is putting Scotland at the forefront of global technological and AI development.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
10 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Starmer accuses Palestine Action of targeting Jewish-owned businesses
Palestine Action has targeted Jewish-owned businesses, Sir Keir Starmer has claimed. The Prime Minister made the comments at a meeting of Labour's national executive committee (NEC), saying that the now banned protest group had a history of 'targeting Jewish-owned businesses'. The comments were first reported by Ann Black, an NEC member, who said she had passed on concerns about the Government decision to proscribe Palestine Action to the Prime Minister. She added that Sir Keir insisted that the ban on the group was 'not intended to stifle debate on Palestine'. This weekend, a large-scale protest is expected to take place in London in support of Palestine Action, with police warning that anyone 'showing support' for the group faced arrest. A source told The Times that Sir Keir said at the NEC meeting: 'It's not just the RAF bases, they've planned and attacked Jewish-owned businesses.' He reportedly went on to say there were 'some incidents that were well known, and others that were not'. Earlier this week, an activist allegedly associated with Palestine Action was remanded in custody accused of vandalising two aircraft at RAF Brize Norton. It is estimated that the full cost of repairing the two planes will be around £7m. A spokesman for the Prime Minister said: 'Those who seek to support this group may not yet know the true nature of this organisation. 'But people should be under no illusion, this is not a peaceful or non-violent protest group, and we're also clear that their activities do not reflect or represent the thousands of people across this country who continue to exercise their fundamental right to protest on different issues.' Some backbench Labour MPs openly spoke out against the Government's decision to proscribe the group under antiterrorism laws when the Home Secretary announced the move in July. Clive Lewis said that in Britain there had been a 'long history… of direct action which pushes the boundaries of our democracy'. Richard Burgon said that the move risked 'criminalising thousands of volunteers and supporters'. The Prime Minister has also been forced to defend his announcement last week of a plan to recognise a Palestinian state in September, unless Israel meets certain conditions.
Daily Mail
10 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Moment former Tory justice minister Chris Philp finds huge boat of illegal migrants crossing the Channel
Former Tory justice minister Chris Philp has poked holes at Labour's new migrant returns deal after witnessing two 'massively packed' small boats entering UK waters while French officials 'made no attempt' to stop them. Mr Philp, who now serves as shadow Home Secretary, today posted a series of videos taken aboard a chartered ship in the English Channel. After seeing one migrant boat being 'shadowed' by a French warship and then another just ten minutes later, the incandescent politician said it showed the Anglo-French deal was a failure, adding that occupants of the boats were 'coming to a hotel near you soon'. He said: 'On the very day Labour's flagship Channel deal was meant to kick in, I watched French ships escort illegal migrants straight into British waters. 'Labour's migrant surrender deal with France is in shambles and today has proven that it will have no deterrent effect whatsoever.' Last month Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer pledged migrants would be 'detained and returned to France in short order' under the agreement. But a determined Mr Philp explained he would spend the day trying to discover 'if the Government really has sorted out' the issue of illegal migrants arriving in the UK from across the English Channel. Within minutes, he is informed that French patrol vessel Minck had turned directly towards the shore of Calais in anticipation of a migrant boat getting ready to leave. He said: 'So you can see the migrant boat in the water absolutely rammed full of illegal immigrants crossing the Channel and we see right next to it a French warship shadowing it across, making no attempts to stop it at all. 'That French warship has been with it about three hours now. They could have stopped that illegal migrant boat near the French shore if they had chosen to, like the Belgians do, the Australians do. 'They could have stopped it, but instead they are shadowing it across, escorting it into British waters.' He added that within the next two hours the migrants would reach British waters. Within minutes, Mr Philp then spotted a second migrant boat, with around 80 people aboard. 'The Government's new deal they announced is obviously having no effect whatsoever. '[The migrants] are clearly not deterred by the government's deal. I can see the evidence in front of my eyes,' the politician added, before witnessing UK Border Force vessel Typhoon approaching the French warship to pick up the migrants. Mr Philp added: 'They should return all the people - if you return all the people then they won't attempt the crossing in the first place.' He witnessed the scenes on the first day of Labour's new migrant returns deal, which had already suffered a bumpy introduction after one minister appeared to contradict the terms of the treaty. Cabinet minister Lisa Nandy said on Wednesday that small boat migrants sent back under the deal would see their human rights claims heard after being sent back to France. However, it later emerged that some types of human rights cases would, in fact, block the Home Office from being able to remove migrants in the first place. Asked whether human rights challenges amounted to a loophole in the plan, Culture Secretary Ms Nandy said: 'That's not the case at all. 'The deal that we've struck will allow… us to send people back to France who have human rights claims. 'Those claims will be heard in France.' She told Sky News: 'I know that the Conservative Party has been saying that this is a loophole. It isn't and we're really confident about that.' However, the treaty clearly sets out how small boat migrants cannot be sent back to France if they have 'an outstanding human rights claim'. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed the new deal last month after a Downing Street summit The Home Office confirmed some human rights claims will block migrants' removal until they have been concluded in full. It will include cases which cannot be formally 'certified' by officials as 'clearly unfounded'. A Home Office spokesman said: 'Not everyone will fall within the scope of certification. 'No doubt there will be examples where people who file a human rights claim will fall outside the scope of certification and that would have to be heard.' It was a narrower interpretation of the circumstances than those set out by Ms Nandy, and legal proceedings could take months or even years to wrap up. The Mail has learned pro-migrant groups have begun informal discussions about launching a joint legal action against Labour's plan – just as they did against the Tories' Rwanda scheme. Sources said there had already been 'a certain amount of co-ordination' between charities and other groups, with details of the treaty still being analysed. The Free Movement website, which offers advice to immigration lawyers, has published an analysis of the new measures which says: 'Legal challenges will be more difficult than for Rwanda, however there are still likely to be grounds on which some people can resist removal to France. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper repeatedly refused to say how many migrants will be returned under the deal because it 'could help the smuggling gangs' 'For example, if the inadmissibility decision was wrong, if people have family in the UK, or had experiences in France which make it inappropriate to send them back.' Meanwhile, the French interior ministry led by Bruno Retailleau - who signed the treaty alongside Home Secretary Yvette Cooper - declined to answer questions about the deal. It is unclear whether the Home Office had detained any of the new arrivals for possible removal to France. Officials had previously described how migrants would be taken to the Home Office's processing centre at Manston, near Ramsgate in Kent, for initial screening. Those selected would be sent to short-term detention facilities for further screening, and then on to an immigration removal centre. Under the terms of the treaty the UK must hand France the names of those to be removed within 14 days of their arrival. The French government then has up to 28 days to respond. Labour's deal with France came a year after Sir Keir scrapped the Tories' Rwanda asylum scheme as one of his first acts in office. The Rwanda deal, designed to deter Channel crossings and save lives, was ready to finally get off the ground after more than two years in legal limbo.
Leader Live
14 minutes ago
- Leader Live
Dozens killed seeking aid in Gaza as Israel considers further military action
The Israeli military said it had fired warning shots when crowds approached its forces. The latest deaths came as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected to announce further military action – and possibly plans for Israel to fully reoccupy Gaza. Experts say Israel's ongoing military offensive and blockade are already pushing the territory of some two million Palestinians into famine. Another escalation of the nearly 22-month war could put the lives of countless Palestinians and around 20 living Israeli hostages at risk, and would draw fierce opposition both internationally and within Israel. Mr Netanyahu's far-right coalition allies have long called for the war to be expanded, and for Israel to eventually take over Gaza, relocate much of its population and rebuild Jewish settlements there. US President Donald Trump, asked by a reporter on Tuesday whether he supported the reoccupation of Gaza, said he was not aware of the 'suggestion' but that 'it's going to be pretty much up to Israel'. At least 28 Palestinians were killed overnight and into Wednesday in the Morag Corridor, an Israeli military zone in southern Gaza where UN convoys have been repeatedly overwhelmed by looters and desperate crowds in recent days, and where witnesses say Israeli forces have repeatedly opened fire. The Israeli military said troops fired warning shots as Palestinians advanced towards them, and that it was not aware of any casualties. Nasser Hospital, which received the bodies, said another four people were killed in the Teina area, on a route leading to a site in southern Gaza run by the Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), an American contractor. The Al-Awda Hospital said it received the bodies of six people killed near a GHF site in central Gaza. Another 12 people were killed in Israeli air strikes, according to the two hospitals. The GHF said there were no violent incidents at or near its sites. The military says it tries to avoid harming civilians and blames their deaths on Hamas because its militants are entrenched in heavily populated areas. Israel facilitated the establishment of four GHF sites in May after blocking the entry of all food, medicine and other goods for two-and-a-half months. Israeli and US officials said a new system was needed to prevent Hamas from siphoning off humanitarian aid. The United Nations, which has delivered aid to hundreds of distribution points across Gaza throughout the war when conditions allow, has rejected the new system, saying it forces Palestinians to travel long distances and risk their lives for food, and that it allows Israel to control who gets aid, potentially using it to advance plans for further mass displacement. The UN human rights office said last week that some 1,400 Palestinians have been killed seeking aid since May, mostly near GHF sites but also along UN convoy routes where trucks have been overwhelmed by crowds. It says nearly all were killed by Israeli fire. This week, a group of UN special rapporteurs and independent human rights experts called for the GHF to be disbanded, saying it is 'an utterly disturbing example of how humanitarian relief can be exploited for covert military and geopolitical agendas in serious breach of international law'. The experts work with the UN but do not represent the world body. The GHF called their statement 'disgraceful', and urged the UN and other aid groups to work with it 'to maximise the amount of aid being securely delivered to the Palestinian people in Gaza'. The Israeli military says it has only fired warning shots when crowds threatened its forces, and the GHF says its armed contractors have only used pepper spray and fired into the air on some occasions to prevent deadly crowding at its sites. Israel's blockade and military offensive have made it nearly impossible for anyone to safely deliver aid, and aid groups say recent Israeli measures to facilitate more assistance are far from sufficient. Hospitals recorded four more malnutrition-related deaths over the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 193 people, including 96 children, since the war began in October 2023, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Jordan said Israeli settlers blocked roads and hurled stones at a convoy of four trucks carrying aid bound for Gaza after they drove across the border into the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Israeli far-right activists have repeatedly sought to halt aid from entering Gaza. Jordanian government spokesperson Mohammed al-Momani condemned the attack, which he said had shattered the windscreens of the trucks, according to the Jordanian state-run Petra News Agency. The Israeli military said security forces went to the scene to disperse the gathering and accompanied the trucks to their destination. Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the October 7 attack and abducted another 251. Most of the hostages have been released in ceasefires or other deals. Of the 50 still held in Gaza, around 20 are believed to be alive. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not say how many were fighters or civilians but says around half were women and children. It is part of the now largely defunct Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals. The UN and independent experts consider it the most reliable source for the number of war casualties.
