Sign up for Palestinian statehood

E-petition for British government to recognize Palestine

‘This House believes that the British government should recognise Palestine as a state and support its admission to the UN in September 2011.’

This is the petition on the government’s epetition website.

Here is some background:

Rather than wait for the international community to get its act together, the Palestinians have taken hold of the diplomatic agenda. Their application for admission to the UN in September is an attempt to breathe genuine life into a peace process that currently lies inert. The Palestinians are seeking only what they have been promised for decades – but which the international community has failed to deliver.

Appealing to the UN is the very opposite of taking “unilateral” action as they have been accused. The Palestinians have stated clearly that admission is not the same as statehood. Peace and statehood will come only via negotiations – but admission offers the best, the most effective guarantor of a resumption of good faith negotiations. Without those, a lasting peace amounts to little more than a forgotten speech, a remark in an interview or a quickly abandoned election promise.

The Palestinians have appealed to civil societies around the world to support them. 650,000 people signed a global petition organised by Avaaz – that probably includes you. The UK government has given us a chance to formally express that support and we ought to take the opportunity to do so.

We have watched as negotiations brought no gains – even as more illegal settlements are planned, announced and built. We do not need merely to watch any longer.”

The link to the epetition site is at the top of this posting or here.