Manchester’s MPs must vote to recognise the State of Palestine as an independent nation, according to the Manchester Green Party.
The party’s prospective parliamentary candidate, Kieran Turner-Dave, believes a yes vote will allow Britain to take a long overdue lead in supporting human rights.
After Sweden became the first European Nation to recognise Palestine’s independence, Mr Turner-Dave believes Monday’s vote could be a massive step forward for the area.
“It horrifies me that children still go to bed at night not knowing whether their home will be blown up before they awake,” said the Green Party member.
“We all want to see prolonged and sustainable peace in the Middle East and we need to build that future now before military intervention is required.
“People of every community must give equal recognition to two self-determined nations: Israel and Palestine. This is a step that Palestinians have been waiting decades for.”
Manchester Gorton’s MP, Rt Hon Sir Gerald Kaufman has sponsored the debate entitled ‘The Future of the Two State Solution in Israel and Palestine’.
There is strong support for Palestinian recognition in Manchester with community groups such as Manchester Palestinian Action regularly campaigning for the people’s self-determination.
Palestine and Israel have been locked in on-off peace talks since the 1993 Oslo Accord between the Palestine Liberation Organisation and Israel led to mutual recognition.
However, no permanent settlement has ever been reached despite the United Nations upgrading the status of the Palestinians to that of a ‘non-member observer state’ in November 2012.
The move allows a Palestinian representative to take part in UN General Assembly debates despite their continuing issues with Israel.
Parliament will vote on the issue when they return from recess on Monday October 13.
Image courtesy of Hossam el-Hamalawy, with thanks
