On Monday 13 October, the House of Commons will debate this motion
“That this house believes that the Government should recognise the State of Palestine alongside the State of Israel”
This motion (above) has been proposed by a group of anti-Israel MP’s
Pro – Israel MP’s have suggested that an amendment is passed as follows ………At the end add ;” on the conclusion of successful peace negotiations between the Israeli Government and the Palestinians”
A Two State Solution is the best way forward for Israel and the first option throws this out of the window.
Any “prize” for Mahmoud Abbas must be the result of having proper meaningful talks with Israel and the result of a genuine desire for peace and cooperation between the two States
We suggest you write to your MP the following letter using your own words but please feel free to use this suggested draft as a basis for your own letter:-
DRAFT OF LETTER TO SEND TO LOCAL MP
On Monday 13 October, the House of Commons will debate this backbench motion:
“That this House believes that the Government should recognise the State of Palestine alongside the State of Israel”
The following amendment has been proposed by pro Israel MP’s to this motion:-
At end add; “on the conclusion of successful peace negotiations between the Israeli Government and the Palestinian Authority”
As a constituent of yours, I am writing to you to urge you to attend the debate and to support the amendment
I support the principle of a two State solution to the Israel- Palestine issue. However it is vital that this is achieved through negotiation and mutual agreement between Israel and the PA, not through unilateral moves or pre-emptive recognition. The risks implicit in recognising a Palestinian State without peace being concluded are:-
1) A negotiated Israeli-Palestinian resolution to the conflict becomes more difficult. If the Palestinians have their maximal positions endorsed by the UK and other Countries, it will make it harder for them to compromise in the negotiation room
2) By undermining the concept of a negotiated settlement, the Palestinians will have less motivation to enter talks.
They will have a wide range of alternative options to continue promoting the diplomatic and political isolation of Israel, including international legal forums. This is a legalistic, adversarial and zero sum approach which runs counter to the search for an agreement
3) A catalyst for violence. Raising expectations on the Palestinian street of the establishment of a Palestinian State that will not be fulfilled risks creating a catalyst for demonstrations and violence
Israeli Governments have repeatedly stated their willingness to recognise an independent Palestine provided that this results in a permanent peace and an end to claims against Israel. Indeed on numerous occasions, most recently in 2008, Israel has offered terms for statehood only for these to be rejected by the Palestinians
Unilateral moves such as Israel withdrawing from Gaza in 2005 have only led to more conflict whereas negotiated peace deals such as the treaties between Israel and Egypt and later Jordan have proved very durable
It must be made clear to the PA as well as Israel that compromise and conciliation are the only routes to satisfying their vital interests and that only genuine negotiations can lead to a lasting peace
I urge you to support the amendment and to throw your influence behind a
negotiated and lasting peace
You can find your MP and their contact details here and submit this letter on line:-
You can even send it from here and it should provide a draft letter to approve before submitting it
I urge every Member of BAFI to take this opportunity to contact their MP and to give your very valued opinion before the vote is taken
Thanks
Bryan
PS Please let us know how your MP responds
Bournemouth Action For Israel 