Time and again, the UK’s actions in relation to the Israel-Palestine conflict have come too little, too late.
Keir Starmer has an opportunity to act now. Britain must follow France and recognise a state of Palestine while there is still a Palestine to recognise.
The position of the United Kingdom has long been that the only acceptable settlement is the two-state solution. Yet we only recognise one of those states.
The recognition of Palestine has been Labour policy since I was shadow foreign secretary. It was in the manifesto on which we were elected last year. And immediate recognition is supported by the majority of the Foreign Affairs Committee, which I chair, and which publishes a report into the Israel-Palestine conflict today.
When I ask the government when it will happen, they tell me they will recognise at the moment of maximum impact.
But we cannot wait forever for a perfect moment that may never come. I can think of many opportunities when recognition might have had a significant effect, had we taken that step.
We cannot let another opportunity pass us by.
On Monday, the long-awaited French-Saudi conference on the two-state solution will take place in New York. Ahead of it, President Macron has announced that he will recognise a Palestinian state in September.
It is no secret that Macron has been pushing the UK government to recognise Palestine alongside the French. He told Parliament as much when he addressed us last week.
He is right. A unified move by the signatories to the secret Sykes-Picot agreement which carved up the Middle East more than a century ago would demonstrate our sincere commitment to a two-state solution.
The leaders’ meeting at the UN in September offers that opportunity.
Of course, the most urgent need is for an immediate ceasefire and for UN-administered aid to flood into Gaza. Recognition does not secure peace on its own.
But it should be the start of a renewed commitment by Britain to engage with our allies, particularly Gulf and Arab states, to build a plan for a sustainable peace. It would signal that our engagement is sustained and sincere.
And it would show the Israeli government that the UK is prepared to take the kind of decisive action promised in the Foreign Secretary’s statement alongside 27 allies on Monday.
That must include tough and direct action on violent extremist settlers and the companies who facilitate settlements. Their behaviour imperils the two-state solution by taking over the very land which should be Palestinian. My committee’s report argues that the UK must extend sanctions against them and prevent the import of settlement goods.
The natural reaction of the British public to the scenes of starvation and death in Gaza is to call on their politicians to do something.
The challenge for politicians is to ensure that what they do makes a real difference.
The recognition of Palestine as part of a renewed commitment by the UK to work with others to build a peace process would be just that.
Britain has said it wants to work with France when it comes to the recognition of Palestine. Now that France has said it will recognise in September, is it not fair to expect the government to join them?
I, my committee, and the British public will be watching with anticipation.
Emily Thornberry is Labour MP for Islington South and Finsbury and chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee
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