by Matthew Cockrell and Alex Fairhead
Our project aims to engage with organisations and parliamentarians from the EU, to understand potential opportunities for the UK to lead or act alongside European neighbours in its policy towards Palestinian statehood. Throughout, we will combine empirical research with more personal narratives, to build a full picture of the potential effects of immediate recognition.
Related to this, we will engage UK parliamentarians to understand their misgivings about immediate recognition of Palestinian statehood by the British government. Secondly, we wish to research these misgivings, considering the likely implications of immediate UK recognition of Palestinian statehood. This will help inform parliamentarians about whether immediate recognition of Palestinian statehood is a helpful step towards a just, secure, and sustainable peace for Israel and Palestine.
This research will focus on human rights, trade, security, international law, and diplomatic legitimacy. Whilst there is seemingly little political space to engage with MPs in the current government about this issue, this project will continue to put pressure on parliamentarians to push the importance of the recognition from the UK, particularly with a coming general election.