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A pro-Palestine supporter wears a
Palestinian and Union flag outside the Houses of Parliament in London October
13, 2014. (Reuters/Luke MacGregor)
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The British parliament voted in favour
of a symbolic move to recognize Palestine as an official state, answering
impassioned pleas by pro-Palestinian ministers and activists.
The vote, which took place on Monday
evening, saw 274 MPs come out in support of the motion, while 12 voted against.
"This
House believes that the Government should recognize the state of Palestine
alongside the state of Israel as a contribution to securing a negotiated
two-state solution," the motion
reads.
A number of politicians chose to
abstain from the final vote, including Prime Minister David Cameron and Respect
MP George Galloway.
While the motion passed with an
overwhelming majority, it does not signify an official change in Britain’s
position regarding the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. The
government may not officially recognize Palestine as a state, but Reuters notes
that it can change that position if it feels doing so would be constructive to
the peace process.
Despite many predicting that the motion would fall,
MPs recognized it could set a precedent for the future of a Palestinian state.
Some ministers, including Labour MP Grahame Morris, called it a “historic
opportunity” to take a “small but symbolic” step to support
self-determination for Palestine.
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