Husam Zomlot, the Palestinian ambassador to the UK, has urged the Labour government to recognize Palestine, highlighting that such recognition should be unconditional. He warns that adding more conditions will only perpetuate the existing status quo and suggests that recognition is vital for the Palestinian people's right to self-determination. With an upcoming UN conference on creating a two-state solution, Zomlot stresses that peace can only occur between equals, and delaying recognition grants Israel undue power over Palestinian futures. He reinforces that recognition is not just symbolic but an essential initial step towards equality and freedom.
Recognition is neither a reward for one party nor a punishment for another. It is a long-overdue affirmation of the Palestinian people's unconditional right to exist and live freely in our homeland.
Delaying recognition simply reinforces the deadly status quo, denying Palestinians' equal rights until Israel consents, thus granting our occupier a permanent veto over the future.
Peace is not made between occupier and occupied. It can only exist between equals.
Zomlot argued recognition was not purely symbolic, but an irreversible first step.
Collection
[
|
...
]