British Labor Party calls for sanctions against Israel and the Palestinian embassy welcomes the decision
Jerusalem24 – The British Labor Party, held a vote in its general annual conference in Brighton, on a resolution supporting the use of sanctions against Israel, calling for the immediate recognition of the State of Palestine in the event that it forms a government.
Labor Party members had voted by a clear majority with a resolution condemning “the ongoing Nakba in Palestine, Israel’s military attack on Al-Aqsa Mosque, the deliberate displacement of Sheikh Jarrah, and Israel’s war on Gaza,” and welcoming the International Criminal Court’s investigation into possible war crimes committed by Israel.
They referred to a resolution issued by the Trade Union Conference in 2020, in which it described Israel’s settlement activity as part of the crime of apartheid committed by Israel in the occupied territories, calling on trade unions in Europe and all over the world to “join the international campaign to stop annexation of lands and end the apartheid regime.” .
The members of the conference called for setting strict standards on commercial activities with Israel, which include a ban on the sale of British arms to Israel, which are used to violate human rights in Palestine, and to prevent illegal trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied territories, and to stand on the right side of history and recognize immediate state of Palestine.
Palestine’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, Husam Zomlot, described the Labor Party’s decision as a turning point in the definition of the conflict by a major British party that may form a government in the upcoming elections.
Zomlot said, “the importance of the decision comes from a position that crystallized within the party in the face of Israel’s intransigence and its failure to process the political settlement and the two-state solution according to international resolutions.”
He added that the resolution announces the start of calling things by their proper names, describing Israel as a colonial regime and apartheid, and supporting the legitimate right of the Palestinian people to resist colonialism and occupation.
He considered that the decision of the General Conference of the Labor Party to impose a comprehensive ban on settlement goods, ban British companies operating in the settlements, and stop exporting arms to the occupying country constitutes an important development in the party’s positions, in addition to re-emphasizing the immediate recognition of the State of Palestine in the event the party forms a British government.
Zomlot thanked the friends of Palestine in the party, the trade unions, the advocacy campaign for Palestine in Britain, and members of the Labor Party conference and base for their tireless efforts to reach this important decision.
