SHAFAQNA (International Shia News Association) – Israel has expressed anger at the British parliament’s vote in favor of recognizing the state of Palestine.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that the vote in favor of recognizing Palestine as a state risks undermining efforts for what it called “real peace with Palestinians.”
Meanwhile, Britain’s Ambassador to Israel, Matthew Gould, said public sentiment in the UK and around the world has shifted against Israel following its recent 50-day onslaught on the Gaza Strip.
The British envoy said the parliamentary vote in favor of Palestinian statehood was “significant” because it reveals negative attitudes toward the Zionist regime.
“I think it is right to be concerned about what it signifies in terms of the direction of public opinion,” Gould noted.
On Monday, British Members of Parliament (MPs) voted in favor of the motion with a majority of 274 to 12 after a six-hour debate.
Throughout the debate, the plight of the Palestinians was reportedly highlighted by many MPs.
The heated debate came not long after Sweden’s recent decision to recognize Palestine as a sovereign state. Other European countries are likely to follow suit.
On November 29, 2012, the 193-member United Nations General Assembly voted to upgrade Palestine’s status to non-member observer state.
Palestinians are seeking to create an independent state on the territories of the West Bank, East al-Quds, and the Gaza Strip and are demanding that Israel withdraw from the occupied Palestinian territories.
Tel Aviv, however, has refused to return to the 1967 borders and is unwilling to discuss the issue of al-Quds.