UK: Shokat Adam introduces bill to parliament to recognize Palestinian state

Independent MP Shokat Adam introduced a bill to the British Parliament to recognize the State of Palestine, supported by MPs from several parties.

If the bill passes, the UK will join 146 other UN member states in diplomatic recognition of the State of Palestine.

The bill’s sponsors include independent MPs Jeremy Corbyn, Adnan Hussein, Iqbal Mohamed and Ayub Khan – all elected on a pro-Gaza platform in July, along with Shokat Adam, who introduced the bill.

The bill is also sponsored by Sian Berry from the Green Party, Brendan O’Hara and Stephen Gethins from the Scottish National Party (SNP) and Liz Saville-Roberts from the Welsh party Plaid Cymru.

Representative Kim Johnson is the only Labor MP to sponsor the bill. Ian Byrne, another donor, was recently a Labor MP but lost the whip after opposing the government’s two-child benefit cap and now sits in Parliament as an independent.

Key to determining whether the bill will pass if voted on is Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who is likely to decide how Labor MPs will vote.

With Labor holding a strong majority, the bill would need party support to pass, especially since the largest opposition party, the Conservatives, is unlikely to support it.

In Labour’s election manifesto, the party committed to recognizing a Palestinian state “as a contribution to a renewed peace process that will lead to a two-state solution.”

In June, reports emerged that Starmer would delay recognition of a Palestinian state over concerns it could put Britain at odds with the United States.

That same month, 25 UN experts called on states to recognize Palestinian sovereignty as a matter of urgency on the grounds that Palestinian self-determination “is a precondition for lasting peace in Palestine and throughout the Middle East.”

“The Path to Peace”

Shokat Adam, who ousted John Ashworth from Labor in Leicester South in July, said: “Israel has done everything in its power to try to destroy any chance of Palestinian statehood – through settlements, land theft and now the wholesale destruction of Gaza.

“UK recognition of a Palestinian state will help strengthen the Palestinian people’s inalienable right to self-determination in a way that cannot be vetoed by Israel.

“This will open the way to peace for everyone in the region and will not come at the expense of any community.”

“Israel has done everything it can to try to destroy any chance of Palestinian statehood”

– Shokat Adam, Member of Parliament

The move comes after Starmer said last week that he was “considering” imposing sanctions on Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich as well as National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir for “disgusting” comments they made regarding Palestinians.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy also announced new sanctions against three Israeli settler outposts and four organizations he said were responsible for “heinous human rights abuses” against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

This latest development comes as political pressure increases on the British government to take stronger action against Israel.

Some 50 British MPs from seven political parties have so far backed a parliamentary motion tabled last week calling on the Labor government to take measures including “a halt to all military exports to Israel, a ban on the import of goods from illegal Israeli settlements and the cancellation of the 2030 agreement.” A roadmap that deepens the UK’s economic, trade and ties with Israel.”