Palestine welcomes the decision of British Labor Party, says envoy

Islamabad: The State of Palestine welcomes the decision of the British Labor Party to impose sanctions on Israel, envoy says.

The State of Palestine, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, welcomed the vote of the members of the annual general conference of the British opposition Labor Party, held in Brighton, southern England, on a resolution supporting the use of sanctions against Israel and calling for the immediate recognition of the State of Palestine in the event that a government is formed.

The Labor Party members had voted by a clear majority with a resolution condemning "the ongoing Nakba in Palestine, Israel's military attack on Al-Aqsa Mosque, the deliberate displacement of Sheikh Jarrah and Israel's war on Gaza" and welcoming the International Criminal Court's investigation into Israel's crimes.

The conference also referred to a resolution issued by the Trade Union Conference in 2020, in which it described Israel’s settlement activity as part of the crime of apartheid committed by Israel in the occupied territories, calling on trade unions in Europe and all over the world to “join the international campaign to stop the annexation of lands and end the apartheid regime.”

Today's draft resolution called on the Labor Party to set strict standards on commercial activities with Israel, which include a ban on the sale of British arms to Israel that are used to violate human rights in Palestine and a ban on illegal trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied territories. The resolution called on the Labor Party to stand on the right side of history and immediately recognize the state of Palestine.

For his part, the Ambassador of Palestine to Pakistan said, the Labor Party's decision to mark a turning point in the definition of the conflict by a major British party that may form a government in the upcoming elections.

The ambassador said that the importance of the decision comes from a position that crystallized within the party in the face of Israel's intransigence and its failure to process the political settlement and the two-state solution in accordance with international resolutions. He added that the resolution announces the start of calling things by their proper names, describing Israel as a colonial regime and apartheid, and supporting the legitimate right of the Palestinian people to resist colonialism, occupation and apartheid.

The ambassador added that the decision of the General Conference of the Labor Party to impose a comprehensive ban on settlement goods, ban British companies operating in settlements and stop the export of arms to the occupying country, constitutes an important development in the party's positions, in addition to re-emphasizing the immediate recognition of the State of Palestine in the event the party forms a British government.  The ambassador thanked the friends of Palestine in the party, the trade unions, the Palestine advocacy campaign in Britain, and the members of the Labor Party conference and base for their tireless efforts to reach this important decision