Scottish National Party calls for immediate UK recognition of Palestine

John Swinney speaks at SNP conference in Aberdeen, October 9, 2022.
Reuters

The Scottish National Party (SNP) urged the UK government to immediately recognise a Palestinian state after Israel’s far-right finance minister announced plans to expand settlements in the West Bank, undermining the prospect of a two-state solution.

Brendan O’Hara, the SNP’s Middle East spokesperson, told Scottish daily The National that there should be no conditions on recognition, arguing that Prime Minister Keir Starmer should abandon the restrictions he has tied to the process.

Israel’s far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, revealed on Wednesday plans to approve more than 3,000 new homes in the West Bank, a move widely criticised internationally and within Israel.

Smotrich stated that the plan would “bury the idea of a Palestinian state,” claiming “there is nothing to recognise and no one to recognise.”

Last month, Starmer said the UK would recognise a Palestinian state in September unless Israel agrees to a Gaza ceasefire and revives prospects for a two-state solution. The SNP argued that the new settlement plans make these conditions irrelevant and that recognition should happen without delay.

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