60 Labour MPs urge UK to recognize Palestinian State

Nearly 60 Labour MPs have urged the UK government to immediately recognize Palestine as a sovereign state, warning that Israel’s recent actions in Gaza amount to ethnic cleansing, according to Al Mayadeen.

In a public letter addressed to Foreign Secretary David Lammy on Saturday, the MPs criticized Israel’s reported plan to forcibly relocate all Palestinians in Gaza to a displacement camp amid the ruins of Rafah. They described the plan as “an operational strategy for crimes against humanity” and unequivocally labeled it part of an ongoing campaign of ethnic cleansing in Gaza.

The MPs called on the UK to abandon its cautious approach and instead take urgent and decisive action — not only to stop the forced transfer of Palestinians but also to formally recognize Palestinian statehood, which they described as an essential step toward achieving a just and viable peace in the region.

This intervention comes amid growing international pressure on Western governments to act, including a recent appeal by French President Emmanuel Macron for European nations to jointly recognize Palestine. The MPs warned that continued UK inaction sends the wrong message and seriously undermines Britain’s long-professed commitment to a two-state solution.

They stressed that recognizing Palestine at this critical moment would demonstrate genuine support for international law, human rights, and the prospect of lasting peace, rather than passively enabling the ongoing suffering and displacement of the Palestinian people.