UK's Labour leader says would recognize Palestine at right moment
Ed Miliband says decision on statehood recognition would take place depending on if such a move would help bring about broader peace deal in Middle East.
The leader of Britain's opposition Labour Party said on Friday he favoured recognising Palestine as a state if such a move would help bring about a broader peace deal in the Middle East.
Ed Miliband was asked by a reporter if Britain would recognise Palestine in the first year or two of his premiership, if Labour wins national elections on May 7.
Miliband said Labour backed a symbolic vote held last year in Britain's parliament in favour of recognising Palestine.
"What we said at the time of that vote was that it was a vote about the principle of recognition. And clearly a decision about when recognition would take place was dependent on how it would constructively help negotiations."
"I am not going to get into, today, speculation about when that would precisely be. That is a judgement we would have to take at the time," he said.
Ireland, France and Italy have also held parliamentary votes on the status of Palestine in recent months. Sweden has gone further by officially recognising Palestine.
While most developing countries recognize Palestine as a state, most Western European governments do not, supporting the Israeli and US position that an independent Palestinian state should emerge from negotiations with Israel.
The Palestinians want an independent state in the West Bank and Gaza, with its capital in East Jerusalem.
While Gaza's boundaries are clearly defined, the precise territory of what would constitute Palestine in the West Bank and East Jerusalem will only be determined via negotiations with Israel on a two-state solution.
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