What would UK recognition of a Palestinian state mean?
Last week, France became the first G7 nation to commit to it, a move that will be confirmed at the UN General Assembly in September.On Monday, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa called for all countries that have not yet recognised Palestine as a state to do so 'without delay".'The path to peace begins by recognising the state of Palestine and preserving it from destruction,' he said, addressing a UN conference in New York.
Why does it matter ?
A UN partition plan in 1947 called for the creation of a Jewish state alongside a Palestinian state, but Palestinians and the wider Arab world rejected it because it would have given them less than half of the land even though Palestinians made up two-thirds of the population.
The Arab-Israeli war the following year left Israel with even more territory, Jordan in control of the West Bank and east Jerusalem, and Egypt in control of Gaza.
In the 1967 war, Israel seized all three territories, and decades of on-again, off-again peace talks have failed.
The Palestinians have long sought an independent state in Gaza, the West Bank and east Jerusalem.
The idea of a land corridor linking Gaza and the West Bank through Israel was discussed in previous rounds of peace talks, but no serious or substantive peace negotiations have been held since 2009.
What is the Palestinian state ?
The UK would not be recognising an existing state, just the possibility of one.
Recognition is a formal acknowledgment of Palestinian self-determination – rather than a committment to difficult practicalities such as the location of its borders or its capital city.
However, the symbolism would help enhance the Palestinians' international standing and heaps more pressure on Israel to open negotiations on ending the war.
Recognition would mark a significant accomplishment for the Palestinians, who believe it confers international legitimacy on their struggle.
Israel condemns recognition, saying it rewards Hamas for its acts of 'terror'.
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