Labour figures urge recognition of Palestinian state at UN conference

Ministers are under pressure from inside and outside Labour to recognise Palestinian statehood at a UN conference next month, with party grandees arguing it would bolster prospects for peace and demonstrate moral leadership amid escalating tensions. Alf Dubs, the veteran Labour peer and Holocaust survivor, said the symbolic recognition of a Palestinian state would offer Palestinians “the self-respect they’d have if they had a proper state,” and provide them a stronger footing in any future peace negotiations. Lord Hain argued that formal recognition should be “a catalyst, not a consequence” of peace talks. The conference is seen as a potential moment when states such as France and the UK that have yet to recognise Palestine take what would be a momentous diplomatic step. The UK’s official position is that it will recognise a Palestinian state, but only at the point of maximum impact.