Public Comment

The British House of Commons vote to endorse diplomatic recognition of a Palestinian state is a vitally important gesture. Israel and the US should not ignore the message which is a sign of the growing frustration and anger over Israel’s settlement expansion. Ignoring stated US policy, Israel announced it plans to build 1,000 new housing units in areas of Jerusalem which the Palestinians claim encroaches on their independent state. Richard Ottaway, a Conservative lawmaker and chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee voiced the frustration of many of Britain’s lawmakers when he stated “such is my anger over Israel’s behavior in recent months that I will not oppose the motion. I have to say to the government of Israel that if they are losing people like me, they will be losing a lot of people.” Sweden’s new left-of-center government recently announced that it would become the first major Western European nation to recognize Palestine. Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, has urged the United Nations Security Council to set a specific deadline for Israel to end the occupation. 

The European Union has imposed restrictions on loans to Israeli scientific institutions that operate in the West Bank and has plans to label products made in Jewish settlements. Much like apartheid South Africa the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions program is increasing exponentially.  

Finally, the United Nations Film Festival hosted a superb documentary on Palestine which captured the essence of the Israeli – Palestinian conflict (see http://www.unaff.org/2014/f_people.html).