Scottish Government
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Calls to recognise Palestine
UK Government urged to open Palestinian embassy.
Palestine should be recognised as an independent state, enabling it to open its own UK embassy, External Affairs Minister Humza Yousaf has said.
Ahead of tomorrow’s House of Commons debate on the subject, Mr Yousaf has urged the UK Government to take action and formally recognise the state of Palestine. Currently 134 out of 193 UN member states have already given diplomatic recognition to Palestine.
In the letter to the Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, Mr Yousaf also outlined the Scottish Government’s support for the opening of a Palestinian consulate in Scotland and highlighted the need for a Palestinian embassy in the UK.
Mr Yousaf said: “The Scottish Government fully endorses a two-state solution in respect of Israel and Palestine, and ahead of Monday’s House of Commons debate and vote, we want to impress upon the UK Government the need to recognise Palestine in its own right.
“In writing to Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, I have also called for Palestinian representation in the UK to be upgraded with immediate effect to embassy level. The Scottish Government would further welcome the opening of a Palestinian consulate in Scotland.
“We firmly encourage both Israel and Palestine to reach a sustainable, negotiated settlement under international law, which has as its foundation mutual recognition and the determination to co-exist peacefully.”
Mr Yousaf added:
“The suffering of ordinary people who have been forced to leave their homes because of the conflict in Gaza has been truly devastating. For people in the UK whose families have been caught up in the violence recent months have been a very troubling time. It is only right that they should have an embassy to go to receive the vital support they need.
“The Scottish Government has consistently shown its support for the innocent civilians caught up in the conflict through strong and practical measures. We would welcome the opening of a Palestinian consulate in Scotland as one further practical step.
“In the meantime we will continue to work with others and support efforts to help people affected and we are committed to ensuring people with injuries who need specialist treatment can access Scottish hospitals if that is best for them.”
Background
The Scottish Government has already provided £500,000 to the humanitarian relief effort in Gaza. (http://scottishgovernment.presscentre.com/News/Funding-for-Gaza-f43.aspx)
