Dozens of former UK diplomats call on Keir Starmer to recognise Palestine
Dozens of former UK ambassadors and diplomats have called on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to recognise a Palestinian state, The Guardian reported on Wednesday.
In a joint letter, more than 30 former UK ambassadors and 20 former senior British diplomats at the UN said that the “deadly status quo” in Gaza, amid Israel’s two-year war on the enclave, could be broken by the recognition of Palestine.
“The risks of inaction have profound, historic and catastrophic implications,” the letter said, adding that Israel “cannot be secure from threats in the future if the question of Palestine is not taken forward to a political settlement”.
“In the face of the current horror and impunity, words are not enough … A partial suspension of arms sales, delays on trade talks and limited sanctions are far from the full extent of the pressure the UK can bring to bear on Israel,” the letter added.
It called recognising a Palestinian state a “foundational first step towards breaking the deadly status quo”.
The signatories of the joint statement included ex-UK ambassadors to Afghanistan, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Pakistan, Qatar, Syria and Turkey.
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