The Council for the Advancement of Arab-British Understanding (CAABU): Please lobby your Member of Parliament to vote to recognise Palestine

Source: mass emailing (please note I have removed some hyperlinks that were a part of the original email)

Please lobby your Member of Parliament to vote to recognise Palestine Please lobby your Member of Parliament to vote to recognise Palestine On Monday 13 October, there will be a debate with a votable motion to "That this House believes that the Government should recognise the state of Palestine alongside the state of Israel." There is an anti-recognition amendment ', on the conclusion of successful peace negotiations between the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority.' The details are here: http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/backbench-business-committee/news/backbench-debates-announced-for-13-and-16-october/ This debate will be held on the first day back after recess, and many MPs may have constituency commitments on this day. Please remember Monday 13 October will be a historic opportunity for the British Parliament to recognise the state of Palestine and your attendance and support in the Chamber would be very much appreciated. Please ask your MP to attend the debate and vote in favour of the motion and let us at Caabu know their responses. You can contact your MP by email or letter. Details on how to do so can be found here.   Recognition of Palestine Key messages for debate: Recognising Palestine is to recognise Palestinian right to self-determination. Palestine has acquired the attributes of a state and is ready for statehood. Its borders are subject to negotiation as are Israel's. Israel should have zero right of veto over another people's right to self-determination.  The former British Consul-General in Jerusalem, Sir Vincent Fean, has written a very clear Op-ed in the Daily Telegraph outlining the case for British recognition now. 1)    Britain has accepted Palestine's right to statehood - There is no excuse not to recognise Palestine now. 2)    Palestine has all the attributes of a state with functioning institutions worthy of a state. Both the World Bank and the IMF have reported that Palestine's institutions are ready. The British government accepted at the time that this was the case. 3)    Recognition of Palestine does not prejudice final status negotiations on Jerusalem or borders.  4)    Israel should have no right of veto over the right of Palestinians to self-determination: Bilateral recognition of Palestine is something the UK can do bilaterally. Israel has objected to Palestine being recognised as a state. It states that this should be an outcome of negotiations. There are no negotiations and Israel, as the US admitted, was primarily responsible for ending the peace process. Recognising Israel was not subject to negotiation and neither should recognition of Palestine. It is time Israel recognises Palestine's right to exist. A growing number of states already bilaterally recognise Palestine's statehood. The UK recognising Palestine could give decisive momentum to more EU states following suit. 5)    Recognising Palestine would balance recognition of Israel The UK recognised Israel in 1950. It did not ask Palestinian permission to do so. In 2014, it is time to recognise Palestine without having to ask Israel's permission to do so.  Palestinians have been denied the rights and freedoms accorded to citizens of a state. For example, they do not have a fully accredited Embassy in the United Kingdom. They do not have passports recognised the world over. This has been the case now for over 60 years. Is the timing appropriate?  The Government is likely to argue that this is not the appropriate time. We believe that this should be challenged. Israel has failed to offer a viable Palestinian state in negotiations and instead increased the number of settlers to over 550,000. Recognition now would be a clear and legitimate message that Britain and others recognise Palestinian rights and that the illegal settlement enterprise has no validity. Will this help save the two-state solution as a possibility? Will Britain be the first in the EU to recognise the EU and if so, is this an issue? Will this undermine the prospects for negotiations? Will this change the situation on the ground? What are the implications of refusing to recognise Palestine and voting against this motion? Why does the amendment calling for recognition following negotiations not work as a realistic option?    You can contact your MP by email or letter. Details on how to do so can be found here. You can keep track of Caabu's work  by following @Caabu on Twitter or by 'Liking' our Facebook page. Please do forward this email on to friends, colleagues, family members or anyone else who thinks this is important. Get in touch with Joseph Willits (willitsj@caabu.org) for more information on our vital work on Palestine.  Find out how to get involved with Caabu here. Caabu -Advancing Arab-British Relations     Since 1967, Caabu has taken on a strong political, educational and media role. A cross-party organisation, with Chairs from all the main political parties, Caabu works to advance Arab-British relations through its support for international law, human rights and democracy. Joseph Willits Parliamentary & Events Officer  1 Gough Square London EC4A 3DE T: 0207 832 1325 F: 0207 832 1329 E: willitsj@caabu.org   Twitter: @josephwillits   www.caabu.org  --------------- --------------- Membership   A £1,000  (Life Membership)  B £500  (Corporate Membership)  C £250  (Corporate Membership for Non-Profit Organisations)  D £50 (Standard rate)  E £10 (Concession rate)  Click here for further details   --------------- The Council for the Advancement of Arab-British Understanding Limited, Company Limited by guarantee. Company Number: 5047247 Registered in England and Wales, Registered Office: 1 Gough Square, London EC4A 3DE

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