British MPs urge speaking out on ‘injustices’ in Palestine

Following a meeting with the Palestinian prime minister in Ramallah on Sunday, a high-ranking member of the British Labour party said there was a determination to speak against the “injustices in Palestine.”

“There is a shared determination to speak out on the injustices in Palestine. We need to be better at building bridges, not building walls,” MP Liam Byrne, member of a British delegation visiting Palestine, said.

“The conflict in Gaza has given this issue a new profile in Europe and particularly in Britain, over the next few years it will only get bigger and bigger,” he was quoted as saying by the Council for Arab British Understanding (Caabu).

During their three-day visit, the MPs met with diplomats, United Nation agencies operating in the occupied West Bank in addition to local and international NGOs.

Byrne was joined by MP Gavin Shuker, who voiced his support for a push toward a two-state solution.

“Travelling to the West Bank secured in me a sense that this is the right time to go further in terms of recognition and supporting the two-state solution, the key moment is now,” he said.

Following their meeting, Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah said he hoped Britain would play a more prominent role in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

“We count on you to take a lead, Britain has an historic responsibility,” he said adding that it was now the “time for all the international community to be involved not just the Americans.”