David Cameron, foreign secretary of the United Kingdom, says Britain is open to recognising an independent Palestinian state.
In a speech on Monday night at a reception in London, Cameron said Palestinians must have “a political horizon so that they can see that there is going to be irreversible progress to a two-state solution”.
“As that happens, we – with allies – will look at the issue of recognising a Palestinian state, including at the United Nations,” he said.
Cameron added that the recognition would bring long-term stability to the region, referring to the age-long Israel-Palestine conflict.
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The UK, US and other Western countries have supported the idea of an independent Palestine existing alongside Israel as a solution to the region’s tensions but Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli prime minister, has vehemently opposed the idea.
Netanyahu rebuffed efforts, even from his strongest allies, to win his support for the proposal, saying it would “endanger the state of Israel” as he criticised the “attempt to coerce us”.
Cameron said Israel had failed to protect its citizens for decades as a result of its stance on the matter and asked the country to consider the benefits of peace.
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“Although it is incredibly difficult, although efforts in the past have failed, we cannot give up,” he said.
“If the last 30 years tell us anything, it is a story of failure.
“Ultimately it is a story of failure for Israel because yes, they had a growing economy, yes they had rising living standards, yes they invested in defence and security and walls and the rest of it, but they couldn’t provide what a state most wants, what every family wants, which is security.
“And so the last 30 years has been a failure.
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“And it is only by recognising that failure and recognising that true peace and progress will come when the benefits of peace and progress are greater than the benefits of returning to fighting.”
An explainer of the history of the Israeli-Palestine conflict can be found here.
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