Labour said it would work towards recognising Palestine as a state if it won power, after Spain, Ireland and Norway announced a decision to change its diplomatic status.
David Lammy, the shadow foreign secretary, said it would be “preferable” if British recognition was part of a two-state solution bringing peace to the Middle East.
“I think it’s important, or preferable, that recognition is part of the process to two states, and that’s why I place my emphasis on the two-state solution,” he said at Chatham House in London.
Mr Lammy also accused some Israeli politicians of wanting a “no-state solution” to the conflict.
“I have been quite prepared to disagree with a position put by some politicians in Israel, that there can be a one-state solution or actually I think what is preferred is a no-state solution,” he said.
The shadow foreign secretary was speaking after Israel recalled its ambassadors to the three European countries, saying they had rewarded Hamas for “the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.”
Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron faced a backlash from some Tory MPs earlier this year after he suggested the UK could fast-track recognition of Palestine during negotiations for a final peace deal rather than at the end of it.
The Government has been asked for comment.
Move largely symbolic
Ireland, Spain and Norway said they would recognise Palestine in order to strengthen the case for a two-state solution, which was needed to bring peace to the region. Other EU countries have signalled that they could later follow suit.
The move is largely symbolic, as the three countries do not have strong relations, but it is likely to further isolate Israel and leaves the West further divided.
Hamas celebrated the move, describing it as a “turning point”.
Israel’s foreign minister said: “Ireland and Norway intend to send a message today to the Palestinians and the whole world: terrorism pays.”
Israel has waged a brutal war on Gaza since Iran-backed Hamas launched terror attacks on Oct 7, killed at least 1,139 people and took hundreds of hostages.
He threatened to recall the ambassador to Spain if Madrid pressed ahead with its plans, which it later did.
Mr Katz said that recognising Palestine would make it harder to get back hostages held in Gaza. He added it would make a ceasefire less likely by “rewarding the jihadists of Hamas and Iran.”
‘The right thing to do’
All three countries will officially recognise Palestine on May 28 after an announcement which comes after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for war crimes for Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister.
EU members Ireland and Spain announced they would recognise Palestine on Wednesday morning. Both have been among the fiercest critics of Israel’s retaliation in the EU.
In Dublin, Simon Harris, the Irish prime minister, said: “We recognise the state of Palestine,” and added the move had powerful symbolic value.
He said recognition was the “right thing to do” and was a signal of support for the two-state solution.
He added that Gazans were enduring the “most appalling supporting hardship and suffering”.
Mr Harris said Hamas had “nothing to offer” and insisted Israel had a right to exist and that recognising Palestine was not an act against it.
In Madrid, Pedro Sanchez, the Spanish prime minister, put forward the proposal to the Spanish parliament on Wednesday morning.
Jonas Gahr Støre, the Norwegian prime minister, said: “There cannot be peace in the Middle East if there is no recognition.”
He said Oslo, which is not an EU country but closely allied to the bloc, would officially recognise a Palestinian state on May 28.
“The terror has been committed by Hamas and militant groups who are not supporters of a two-state solution and the state of Israel,” the Norwegian government leader said.
“Palestine has a fundamental right to an independent state,” he added.
Slovenia and Belgium are also reported to be considering recognising Palestine as part of the push, which has been driven by Dublin and Madrid, but are unlikely to make an announcement on Wednesday.
France’s Emmanuel Macron has said the idea is not “a taboo” for Paris but has not taken any concrete steps towards joining the alliance of countries.
But the Elysee said on Tuesday that now was not the time.
Source Agencies
