The party's call came in the wake of statements by French President Emmanuel Macron during his recent visit to the United Kingdom, in which he affirmed that recognizing the State of Palestine represents "the only way to achieve peace," according to the British PA Media agency.
The party called for an end to British arms sales to Israel, arguing that the government's failure to use its powers to stop the conflict in Gaza makes it "fully complicit" in what it described as the ongoing "massacre." Brendan O'Hara, the party's Middle East spokesman, said that if the British government had "some sense of condemnation and courage, it would have taken concrete steps to act."
O'Hara added that the Labour Party is required to take concrete steps at the beginning of the week, including halting arms sales to Israel and formally recognizing the State of Palestine. He noted that the French president has clearly expressed his willingness to join other European countries in recognizing Palestine, and called on the United Kingdom to join the growing "political momentum" toward a ceasefire and achieving a lasting peace.
He stressed that Labour Party leader Keir Starmer must "stop making excuses" and join this movement without further delay, asserting that recognizing Palestine would represent "a clear signal of Britain's readiness to protect the Palestinian people's right to their homeland and to use all diplomatic tools to prevent any attempts at ethnic cleansing in Gaza."
The spokesman emphasized that support for the two-state solution requires immediate support for the recognition of Palestine, warning that any delay would discredit this position. He pointed out that the British government's continued failure to take action would make it, in his words, "completely complicit" in providing cover for Benjamin Netanyahu's government to commit weekly massacres against Palestinians.
The party explained that 144 UN member states, including Ireland, Spain, and Norway, have already recognized the State of Palestine. Meanwhile, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy confirmed in statements earlier this week that the British government remains "fully committed" to recognition, but declined to specify a timeframe.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has been waging a genocidal war in Gaza, including killing, starvation, destruction, and forced displacement, ignoring all international calls and orders from the International Court of Justice to halt it.
The genocide, backed by the United States, left approximately 195,000 Palestinians dead or wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 10,000 missing. Hundreds of thousands were displaced, and a famine claimed the lives of many, including dozens of children.
