Israel condemns Britain's vote to back Palestinian statehood

Israeli authorities on Tuesday in Tel Aviv called the British Parliament’s symbolic vote in favour of backing statehood for Palestine a “troubling message” that threatens the prospects for peace.

They said the 274-to-12 vote late Monday was non-binding.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry criticised the resolution, which called for a two-state solution to the conflict.

It stated that the premature international recognition was sending a troubling message to the Palestinian leadership.

The ministry said the vote was telling Palestinians that they can evade the tough choices that both sides have to make, and actually undermines the chances to reach a real peace.

Meanwhile, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki, on Tuesday in Ramallah, called on the British government to honour the vote and recognise the state of Palestine.

He said this was the best way to show its support for the peace process, as the two-state solution and the establishment of a Palestinian state that would live in security and peace alongside
Israel.

Palestinian political analyst Jihad Harb said the British vote was significant in the sense that Britain plays a central role in European politics and has influence on U.S. policies in the region.

“The shift in European public opinion has begun to influence the positions of the European parties,” he said. “We have noticed a change in the policies of some traditionally pro-Israel European states, such as Holland, and recently, Sweden said it intends to recognise Palestine,”

Harb said a French recognition of Palestine “inevitable” after France announced it would hold a joint meeting for the French and Palestinian governments next year.

The vote in Britain came after Sweden’s newly installed government announced this month that it would become the first country in Western Europe to formally acknowledge Palestinian statehood.

The UN General Assembly voted in 2012 to grant “non-member observer state” status to the Palestinians after full membership was blocked in 2011 in the Security Council.