UK MPs have voted in favour of recognising Palestine as a state alongside Israel.<br /><br />The vote – 274 to 12 – will not alter government policy but carries a symbolic value which is intended as a contribution to securing a negotiated two-state solution.<br /><br />Britain’s government already reserves the right to recognise Palestine when it considers it “appropriate for the peace process”.<br /><br />The Israeli government continues to dismiss unilateral moves to recognise Palestine, describing them as premature and claiming they will undermine attempts to reach a peace settlement between the two sides.<br /><br />The vote comes after Sweden last week backed a similar motion and follows the UN General Assembly’s recognition of Palestine as a state in 2012.<br /><br />Future parliamentary votes in Ireland, Denmark, Finland, and France are likely to confirm the shift of public opinion across Europe as efforts grow to preserve the viability of the two-state solution.
