LONDON — In a bold political move, nearly 60 British lawmakers have called on Foreign Secretary David Lammy to officially recognize Palestine as a state and to take a stronger stance against what they described as Israel’s systematic displacement of Palestinians in Gaza.
In a letter delivered this week, 59 Members of Parliament from the ruling Labour Party voiced alarm over statements made by Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and Israel Katz, referencing reported plans to forcibly relocate Gaza’s 2.1 million residents into what Katz called a “humanitarian city” constructed on the ruins of Rafah.
The MPs condemned the proposal as deeply inhumane and warned it resembled tactics historically associated with ethnic cleansing. The letter cites prominent Israeli human rights lawyer Michael Sfard, who argued that Palestinians were being systematically pushed to Gaza’s southern edge “in preparation for deportation.”
“Such actions,” the lawmakers wrote, “represent a gross violation of international law and a moral failure that demands urgent international accountability.”
This push comes amid growing global calls for the UK and other Western nations to move beyond rhetoric and formally recognize Palestinian statehood — a step advocates argue is long overdue and essential for a just resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The letter marks a significant shift in tone within the Labour Party, now in government, signaling increasing pressure on Downing Street to recalibrate its foreign policy amid escalating violence and humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.
