Welsh Lib Dems Call for the UK Government to follow France in recognising a Palestinian State

Responding to the announcement that France will recognise a Palestinian state, the Welsh Liberal Democrats have reiterated their calls for the UK Government to follow France and recognise an independent state of Palestine.

The Liberal Democrats also called this week for Keir Starmer to launch a UK airdrop operation over Gaza, in response to the reports of mass starvation and the mounting number of deaths related to malnutrition.

The operation would involve RAF planes supplying aid into Gaza from the air. Similar operations were undertaken by British pilots in Spring 2024, delivering hundreds of tonnes of aid to support humanitarian relief efforts in the Strip. 

The call comes as over a hundred humanitarian organisations have warned that the population of Gaza is at risk of mass starvation as a result of the Israeli Government's failure to comprehensively reopen aid supply routes across the occupied territory.

Commenting, Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds MS said:

“The UK should immediately follow the French Government in recognising an independent state of Palestine, something which is necessary for a two-state solution and lasting peace in the region.

“We need to see an immediate halt to the Israeli Government’s military action in Gaza and to put an end to the devastating aid blockade alongside  the reopening of UN-administered humanitarian corridors into the Strip.”

Adding his comments, Welsh Liberal Democrat Westminster Spokesperson David Chadwick MP said:

“It is utterly unacceptable that the entire population of Gaza faces the threat of starvation as a direct consequence of Israel’s blockade on humanitarian aid. We are beyond the point of discussion - decisive action is urgently needed. That should include the UK Government initiating a renewed round of aid airdrops into Gaza.

“While air-delivered aid cannot replace the vital need to reopen land-based supply routes, the scale of the current humanitarian disaster demands that we explore every possible means to deliver relief to those in need.

“The Prime Minister must work to gain the support of international allies so that they too commit to carrying out their own airdrops. At the same time, there must be a coordinated push to fully reopen land access for humanitarian assistance which is the most reliable and effective way to ease the suffering of Gaza’s people.”

ENDS