AN independent MP has lodged a bill to recognise the state of Palestine, garnering support from across the House of Commons.
Shockat Adam, MP for Leicester South, presented the "Recognition of the State of Palestine Bill" to the UK Parliament as a Private Members' Bill.
If passed into law, it would mean the UK would join more than 100 other United Nations (UN) members in diplomatically recognising the state and people of Palestine.
The bill’s sponsors include Sian Berry from the UK Greens party, Stephen Gethins and Brendan O'Hara from the SNP, Liz Saville-Roberts from Plaid Cymru and Kim Johnson, a Labour MP.
Independent MPs Jeremy Corbyn, Ian Byrne, Adnan Hussain, Ayoub Khan and Iqbal Mohamed are also sponsoring the bill.
Labour had pledged to recognise Palestine in its General Election manifesto.
Since the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988, 146 UN member nations have recognised the state of Palestine but the UK has not.
In February 2021, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: "The UK will recognise a Palestinian state at a time of our choosing, and when it best serves the objective of peace."
Statehood would enable Palestine to join the UN as a full member and would be an important step towards peace in the region.
Adam urged his parliamentary colleagues to back the Bill on November 29 to "be part of the positive change we all want to see in this region”.
He added: “The time for Palestine sovereignty and for Palestinians is now. Israel has done everything in its capacity to try and destroy any chance of Palestinian statehood – through settlement, land theft and now the wholesale decimation of Gaza.
"UK recognition of the Palestinian state will help reinforce the Palestinian people’s inalienable right to self-determination, in a way that cannot be vetoed by Israel. This would initiate a path to peace for everyone in the region and not be at the expense of any community.
“Presenting the bill in Parliament, which if passed into law would see the UK recognise an independent State of Palestine, is not only the right thing to do, it's an important step to ensure peace in the region for both Israelis and Palestinians."
In June, 25 UN experts called for the recognition of Palestinian sovereignty as a matter of urgency, stating: “Palestine must be able to enjoy full self-determination, including the ability to exist, determine their destiny and develop freely as a people with safety and security.
"This is a pre-condition for lasting peace in Palestine and the entire Middle East.”
Private Members’ Bills are law changes brought forward by individual MPs outside of the government’s agenda and usually do not make it on to the statute book without support from ministers.
