Sir,
Your report (“Palestine pledge could break the law, top lawyers warn Starmer”, 31 July) refers to a letter from 40 peers claiming that the Prime Ministers intention to recognise a Palestinian State in September, unless Israel meets certain conditions, would breach international law. With respect, their intervention appears intended to divert public attention from the genocide being perpetrated by Israel in Gaza.
Significantly, their letter fails to mention that the UK is not a party to the 1933 Montevideo Convention, and in any case more than 140 states already recognise Palestine. To suggest that recognition would amount to a breach of international law is therefore a misrepresentation.
Recognition of a state has always been primarily a political act not a legal one.
Ironically, the recognition of Israel as a state by the UN was conditional on the right of return of Palestinian refugees, something Israel has refused to do for nearly 80 years.
Yet while these peers hand‑wring over irrelevant legal technicalities, they wilfully ignore the far graver issue: Israel’s actual and ongoing breaches of international law. Only this week, the respected Israeli human rights group B’Tselem declared that Israel is committing genocide. Even the former Israeli attorney general, Michael Ben-Yair, this week conceded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. Writing on X on Tuesday he said, “Jews, who went through the genocide 80 years ago, are committing genocide in Gaza.”
That reality, together with the continuing occupation and annexation of Palestinian territory, constitutes flagrant violations of the very body of international law these peers claim to defend.
By focusing public debate on tenuous legal disputes, these lawyers are not only denying Palestinians statehood, but in the midst of a genocide, are erasing the very humanity of the children now being starved in Gaza by Israel.
Yours Faithfully,
Revd Dr Stephen Sizer, Chair, The Convivencia Alliance
Professor Haim Bresheeth, Jewish Network for Palestine
Massoud Shadjareh, Islamic Human Rights Commission
