Dr. Ashrawi: “This Vote Sends the Right Message to the British Government and the Rest of Europe”
PLO Executive Committee member, Dr. Hanan Ashrawi, welcomed the vote of the British Parliament urging its government to recognize the State of Palestine: “On behalf of the Palestinian people and its leadership, I would like to thank everyone who worked to bring about this vote. The recognition of Palestine and its people is both a principled decision and a significant step towards justice and peace.”
Dr. Ashrawi continued: “Our right to self-determination has never been up to negotiations. The recognition of Palestine is not contingent upon on the outcome of negotiations with Israel and certainly not something we will trade for; this claim is not only unfair, but immoral.”
“This vote sends the right message to the British government and the rest of Europe— it will enhance the European voices calling for the recognition of Palestine and will create the right environment for the international community to grant the Palestinian people legal parity and rights.”
Dr. Ashrawi concluded: “We would like to thank the British people, the thousands who lobbied their members in parliament, and the religious leaders, trade unions, artists, and civil society at-large who stood up in the name of justice. We would also like to thank those Israelis who courageously called upon the British parliament to recognize the State of Palestine.”
“The British government is called upon to take the challenge of rectifying historical injustice done to the Palestinian people by taking active steps to end the Israeli occupation and to recognize the State of Palestine.”
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To access this press release on the PLO DCI website, please click here.