Calls to recognise Palestine

12/10/2014
UK Government urged to open Palestinian embassy.
Palestine should be recognised as an independent state, enabling it to open
its own UK embassy, External !airs "inister #um$a %ousa& has said'
head o& tomorrow(s #ouse o& )ommons debate on the sub*ect, "r %ousa&
has urged the UK +o,ernment to ta-e action and &ormally recognise the
state o& Palestine' )urrently 1.4 out o& 1/. U0 member states ha,e already
gi,en diplomatic recognition to Palestine'
1n the letter to the 2oreign 3ecretary Philip #ammond, "r %ousa& also
outlined the 3cottish +o,ernment(s support &or the opening o& a Palestinian
consulate in 3cotland and highlighted the need &or a Palestinian embassy in
the UK'
"r %ousa& said4 56he 3cottish +o,ernment &ully endorses a two7state
solution in respect o& 1srael and Palestine, and ahead o& "onday(s #ouse o&
)ommons debate and ,ote, we want to impress upon the UK +o,ernment
the need to recognise Palestine in its own right'
1n writing to 2oreign 3ecretary Philip #ammond, 1 ha,e also called &or
Palestinian representation in the UK to be upgraded with immediate e!ect
to embassy le,el' 6he 3cottish +o,ernment would &urther welcome the
opening o& a Palestinian consulate in 3cotland'
8e 9rmly encourage both 1srael and Palestine to reach a sustainable,
negotiated settlement under international law, which has as its &oundation
mutual recognition and the determination to co7exist peace&ully':
"r %ousa& added4
6he su!ering o& ordinary people who ha,e been &orced to lea,e their
homes because o& the con;ict in +a$a has been truly de,astating' 2or
people in the UK whose &amilies ha,e been caught up in the ,iolence recent
months ha,e been a ,ery troubling time' 1t is only right that they should
ha,e an embassy to go to recei,e the ,ital support they need'
6he 3cottish +o,ernment has consistently shown its support &or the
innocent ci,ilians caught up in the con;ict through strong and practical
measures' 8e would welcome the opening o& a Palestinian consulate in
3cotland as one &urther practical step'
1n the meantime we will continue to wor- with others and support e!orts
to help people a!ected and we are committed to ensuring people with
in*uries who need specialist treatment can access 3cottish hospitals i& that
is best &or them':
<ac-ground
6he 3cottish +o,ernment has already pro,ided =>00,000 to the
humanitarian relie& e!ort in +a$a'
?http4//scottishgo,ernment'presscentre'com/0ews/2unding7&or7+a$a7
&4.'aspx@
Palestine consulate would be welcomed
in Edinburgh, says #olyrood
minister
Sunday 12 October 2014
The Scottish Government has urged Westminster to recognise Palestine as an independent state and
invited the nation to establish its first European Consulate in Edinburgh.
External Affairs Minister Humza Yousaf has ritten to !estminster to encoura"e the reco"nition of #alestine as an
inde$endent state
S$ea%in" ahead of a House of &ommons 'ote on a motion callin" u$on the ()
*o'ernment to reco"nise #alestine alon"side the State of +srael, External Affairs
Minister Humza Yousaf has ritten to -orei"n and &ommonealth Secretary #hili$
Hammond to re.uest he su$$ort the mo'e/
He rote0 12he Scottish *o'ernment ur"es the () *o'ernment to formally reco"nise
the State of #alestine and as an immediate ste$ in that $reco"nition $rocess, u$"rade
the $olitical re$resentation to a fully functionin" embassy/ +n that 'ein, the Scottish
*o'ernment ould elcome the o$enin" of a #alestinian &onsulate in Scotland/1
2he inter'ention 3 hich follos last ee%4s announcement by incomin" Sedish
#rime Minister Stefan 56f'en that his country is set to formally reco"nise the Middle
Eastern state 3 has been elcomed by the #alestinian authorities/
#alestine4s re$resentati'e in the (), Manuel Hassassian, said0 17eco"nition of
#alestine4s ri"ht to self determination is a 'ital ste$ in ad'ancin" the $eace $rocess/
2he su$$ort of influential nations li%e Scotland $ro'ides le"itimacy to our claims under
international la, forces +srael to thin% tice before committin" acts of a""ression and
ill enable us to sit at the ne"otiatin" table as an e.ual state/
1Scotland4s reco"nition of #alestine and the su$$ort e recei'e from its $eo$le has
lon" been ay ahead of hat e are seein" from !estminster today/ +t is 'ital,
because ith e'ery action from the continued land "rabs to its attem$ts to dri'e the
8edouin out of the 9ordan :alley, +srael is demonstratin" that it has no interest in
ne"otiatin" a solution at this sta"e/1
Hassassian belie'es that if the () ere to follo the exam$le of the 1;< (nited
=ations members that currently reco"nise the country4s statehood, other ma>or
Euro$ean nations are li%ely to ta%e similar ste$s/ 7e"ardless of the outcome of the
'ote, he says #alestine4s re$resentati'es ill continue to or% ith Scottish officials to
$romote a $eaceful solution for the troubled re"ion/ &itin" the de'astation and
sufferin" caused to the $eo$le of *aza by the recent conflict ith +srael, the Scottish
*o'ernment4s letter calls u$on !estminster to "al'anise its attitude and reco"nise the
se$arate #alestinian State as a critical $art of any to3state solution/
2he &ommons debate and 'ote, hich ill ta%e $lace tomorro, is thou"ht li%ely to
see a ma>ority of M#s su$$ort the $ro$osal to formally reco"nise #alestine/ Hoe'er,
ith official () $olicy still su$$ortin" ne"otiations for a to3state solution and &abinet
Ministers set to abstain as a result, the 'ote ill remain $urely symbolic/ 2his is at
odds ith the Scottish *o'ernment $osition that formal reco"nition of #alestine4s
nationhood is critical ste$ on the road to ne"otiatin" a lon" term $eaceful solution for
the re"ion, ith a to3state solution difficult to arri'e at if only one side is actually
identified as a state/
Yousaf said0 12he Scottish *o'ernment fully su$$orts on3"oin" efforts to brin" about a
'iable to3state solution and e continue to belie'e in the need for both sides to
demonstrate illin"ness to reach a meanin"ful lon"3lastin" a"reement/
1!e also belie'e there should be a ne"otiated settlement in accordance ith
+nternational la hich re.uires mutual reco"nition and a ill to $eaceful co3
existence/1
Posted by Thavam