LONDON: The British government is in talks with its French and Saudi counterparts over official recognition of a Palestinian state, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy has revealed.
Discussions are set to take place at a conference at the UN in June, The Guardian reported.
So far, 160 countries recognize Palestine, including most recently Spain, Norway and Ireland. If a deal can be reached, it would mean adding two permanent UN Security Council members — and key allies of Israel — to that list.
Lammy told the House of Lords International Relations Select Committee that EU countries’ recognition of Palestine had made little to no difference on progress toward statehood, and that the UK wanted something more than to make a symbolic gesture.
“It’s unacceptable for any group of people to have lived with no state for longer than I’ve been alive,” he told the committee.
“No one has a veto on when the UK recognizes that Palestinian state … We’ve always said that recognition isn’t an end in of itself, and we’ll prefer recognition as a part of a process to two states.
“(French) President (Emmanuel) Macron has had a lot to say about that, most recently, alongside the Saudis, and of course we’re in discussion with them at this time.”
Lammy said a viable state could not include Hamas remaining in power in Gaza, and a full demilitarization process of the enclave would need to be undertaken.
He added that the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank is a threat to a two-state solution, and that settler violence against Palestinians is “shocking.”
He also took aim at Israel for its continuing prevention of aid entering Gaza, saying: “The blockade of necessary aid into Gaza is horrendous, the suffering is dire, the need is huge, the loss of life is extreme.”
On April 9, Macron said France would likely recognize a Palestinian state at the June conference, following an official visit to Egypt.
He later said the move, which would be the first such act of recognition by a G7 state, is intended to “trigger a series of other recognitions … including the recognition of Israel by states that do not currently do so.”
Michel Duclos, a special adviser at the Paris-based think tank Institut Montaigne, told The Guardian that the outcome of the June conference “may be nothing more than a roadmap or set of proposals.”
He added: “The dilemma for France may soon become more challenging — can it continue postponing its recognition of Palestine while waiting for a true two-state momentum? Or would further postponement undermine its credibility?”
Saudi Arabia has made clear that normalizing ties with Israel is conditional on a pathway to achieving a two-state solution.
