Most of Britain’s prospective MPs support two-state solution: study

Nearly 90 percent of all British parliamentary candidates standing in next week’s general election believe that the country should recognize the state of Palestine on the 1967 borders, according to the findings of a poll released on Friday.

The research - commissioned by London-based non-profit Medical Aid for Palestinians - revealed that 89 percent of those questioned either “strongly agree” or “tend to agree” with the statement “statehood for Palestine [on 1967 lines] is a right which should be recognised in 2015,” the poll found.

Britons vote on Thursday on who will run the country for the following five years. In the preceeding days, the party faithful will be canvassing voters across the nation.

In the election manifestos of all the main political parties - the Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrats, UK Independence Party (UKIP), and Green parties - there is support for a negotiated two-state solution Israel and Palestine.

Chris Doyle, director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding (CAABU) said: “This survey highlights why party leaders, media and diplomats must take this issue more seriously as there is major grassroots support for recognition in Britain. It is clear that the British people fundamentally understand that it is only fair and right that Palestinian should be recognised and not in 2020, but now in 2015.”

The widespread support across all the main political parties for the concept of a two-state solution, while not guaranteed, does increase the likelihood of the British government making its support an enshrined policy.

Liberal Democrat peer and former Party Leader David Steel said of the news: “This is excellent cross-party support from parliamentary candidates, following the debates in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Let us hope that whatever government is formed next month will implement long overdue justice for the Palestinians.”

In a previous vote, held in October last year the British parliament voted 274 in favour of urging the government to “recognise the state of Palestine alongside the state of Israel” as part of a “contribution to securing a negotiated two-state solution.” Only 12 MPs opposed the vote.

And Vincent Fean, former UK Consul-General in Jerusalem and current trustee of Medical Aid for Palestinians said: “This is the considered view of Parliaments across Europe, from here to Paris, to Dublin, Strasbourg, and, I hope soon, Oslo agreeing with Stockholm. UK recognition of Palestine in 2015 serves notice to the world that for us the solution of two states is a fact - not merely an aim.”