Nearly 60 Labour M.P.s Call For Britain To Immediately Recognize Palestinian State

Nearly 60 Labour lawmakers have called on the British government to urgently recognize Palestine as a state, following an Israeli proposal to forcibly relocate all Gaza residents to a camp on the ruins of Rafah.

The M.P.s—comprising both centrist and left-wing backbenchers—sent a letter to Foreign Secretary David Lammy on Thursday, warning that Gaza is facing ethnic cleansing.

They urged Lammy to take swift action to halt the Israeli regime's Rafah plan, and to take the further step of formally recognizing Palestinian statehood.

The letter was issued shortly after French President Emmanuel Macron echoed similar concerns at a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

“It is with great urgency and concern that we are writing to you regarding the Israeli defence minister’s announcement on Monday of his plans to forcibly transfer all Palestinian civilians in Gaza to a camp in the ruined city of Rafah, without allowing them to leave,” the M.P.s wrote.

The minister’s plans have been described by leading Israeli human rights lawyer Michael Sfard as “an operational plan for crimes against humanity.” “It’s about population transfer to the southern tip of Gaza in preparation for deportation outside the strip,” he said.

Sfard added, “Though an accurate description, we believe there is a clearer one: the ethnic cleansing of Gaza.”