UK

Palestine Action: How every MP voted on proscribing them as a terrorist group

NO FREE SPEECH AGAINST ISRAEL

Chris Jarvis 

July 2,2025

 Left Foot Forward

Find out who voted which way

MPs have voted to proscribe Palestine Action as a terrorist group. The House of Commons voted 385 to 26 in favour of proscribing the organisation, alongside two white supremacist groups – the Maniacs Murder Cult and the Russian Imperial Movement.

The vote on the three groups was not taken separately. Therefore, MPs were asked to vote for or against all three of the groups together. As such, many MPs who opposed the proscription of Palestine Action may have abstained on the vote so as not to be voting against the proscription of the Maniacs Murder Cult and the Russian Imperial Movement.

The government announced its decision to proscribe Palestine Action following members of the group allegedly breaking into RAF Brize Norton and damaging military planes.

Palestine Action describes itself as “a direct action movement committed to ending global participation in Israel’s genocidal and apartheid regime.”

Proscribing Palestine Action means that it will become a criminal office to me a member of or express support for the group.

The decision to proscribe Palestine Action has been highly controversial. A number of MPs criticised the proposed proscription in advance of the vote in the Commons. Likewise, more than 600 public figures called for the government to drop the plans.

Following the House of Commons vote, the House of Lords will also need to vote on the proposed proscription. If they do choose to add Palestine Action to the list of proscribed terrorist organisations, this could come into force as early as this weekend.

239 MPs did not vote on the decision to proscribe Palestine Action. Many of them will have intentionally abstained. Others may have been ‘paired’ – a mechanism used by MPs when they cannot attend a vote in the House of Commons where an MP from another party who would have voted differently to them agrees not to vote, or otherwise did not attend for health or other reasons.

In addition, the speaker of the House of Commons does not participate in votes, and MPs from Sinn Fein do not take their seats in parliament.

As described above, many MPs who opposed the proscription of Palestine Action may not have participated in the vote so as to not be voting against the proscription of the two white supremacist groups also included in the proscription vote.

Below is a fill list of how every MP voted on proscribing Palestine Action.

MPs that voted to proscribe Palestine Action

Green peer’s attempt to stop proscription of Palestine Action defeated in House of Lords

Chris Jarvis 

July 2,2025

 Left Foot Forward

Baroness Jenny Jones said proscribing Palestine Action 'undermines civil liberties'

An attempt in the House of Lords to stop the government’s proscription of Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation has been defeated. The Green Party peer Baroness Jenny Jones proposed a ‘motion of regret’ in the House of Lords which stated that the proscription of Palestine Action ‘undermines civil liberties, including civil disobedience’, is a ‘misuse of anti-terrorism legislation’, and ‘criminalises support for a protest group, thereby creating a chilling effect on freedom of expression‘.

16 peers voted for Jones’ motion, with 144 peers voting against.

Proscribing Palestine Action would make being a member of the group or expressing support of it a criminal offence punishable by a maximum of 14 years in prison. Palestine Action describes itself as “a direct action movement committed to ending global participation in Israel’s genocidal and apartheid regime.”

Had it passed, the motion of regret would not have in itself blocked the proscription of Palestine Action. However, it would have formally recorded the Lords’ disagreement with the decision and would have made implementing the decision more challenging for the government to implement.

Proposing the motion, Baroness Jones said: “If you want Palestine Action to disappear, then stop sending arms to Israel and giving military support to a foreign government engaged in ethnic cleansing.

“There are many things Palestine Action has done I don’t agree with, but spraying paint on refuelling planes that campaigners believe are used to help the ethnic cleansing in Gaza is not terrorism. It’s criminal damage, which we already have laws for.”

The Labour peer Lord Peter Hain, who was a government minister under both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown and a prominent anti-Apartheid activist before that, supported Jones’ motion.

Speaking in the debate, Hain said: “This government is treating Palestine Action as equivalent to Islamic State or al-Qaida, which is intellectually bankrupt, politically unprincipled and morally wrong. Frankly I am deeply ashamed. And that is why I support this regret amendment.”

Among the other people to speak against proscribing Palestine Action was the former TUC General Secretary Baroness Frances O’Grady.

Those speaking in favour of proscribing Palestine Action included the Labour peer Luciana Berger and the crossbench peer Lord John Woodcock.

The motion of regret was proposed as the Lords was debating the Statutory Instrument to proscribe three groups as terrorist organisations – Palestine Action, Maniacs Mulder Cult and the Russian Imperial Movement. MPs yesterday (July 2) voted to proscribe the three organisations with 385 votes in favour and 26 votes against.

Neither the House of Commons nor the House of Lords were able to vote on the three organisations separately. As such, many peers and MPs may not have voted against the proscription of Palestine Action in order to not also vote against the proscription of the two other groups, both of which are white supremacist organisations.

In a statement, the home secretary Yvette Cooper said of the decision to proscribe the groups: “Maniacs Murder Cult, Palestine Action and the Russian Imperial Movement have each passed the threshold for proscription based on clear national security evidence and assessments.

“The right to protest and the right to free speech are the cornerstone of our democracy and there are countless campaign groups that freely exercise those rights. Violence and serious criminal damage has no place in legitimate protests.”

The House of Lords subsequently voted to support the proscription of the three groups – including Palestine Action – and their proscription could come into force as early as the weekend.

Palestine Action:

Over 600 public figures call for government not to proscribe direct action group

Chris Jarvis 

1 July, 2025 

Left Foot Forward

Caroline Lucas, George Monbiot and Alice Oseman are among the signatories

More than 600 prominent public figures have signed a public statement calling for the government not to proscribe the direct action group Palestine Action. If proscribed, Palestine Action would be listed as a terrorist group and being a member of it or expressing support for it would become a criminal offence.

The statement – coordinated by Fossil Free Books – has been signed by authors actors, comedians, politicians, campaigners and journalists. Among the most high profile signatories are the former Green MP Caroline Lucas, the journalist George Monbiot, Hearstopper author Alice Oseman, comedian Frankie Boyle, former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis, economics writer Grace Blakeley and the musician Brian Eno.

The statement reads: “We are writers, editors, publishers and organisations who care about freedom of expression. Between us we hold a range of views on various cultural and geopolitical issues.

“We are united by a fierce commitment to freedom of expression and assembly. It is this freedom that allows us to write and, for this reason, it is our responsibility to defend it.

“We call on Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to immediately halt their unprecedented plans to proscribe the non-violent direct action group, Palestine Action.

“What is at stake here is the very principle of freedom of political expression as we know it in the UK. Whether we as individuals support Palestine Action is irrelevant: we oppose their proscription on principle.

“Civil disobedience is not ‘terrorism’, as history shows us, from the suffragettes to Martin Luther King Jr. It is the right of all citizens in a democracy. In 2004, Keir Starmer made this very argument when he represented an activist who sabotaged a military aircraft, making the case that his actions were lawful because they aimed to prevent an ‘illegal war’.

“Legal and human rights groups, such as Amnesty, Greenpeace and Liberty, have been clear that the proscription of Palestine Action threatens the right to protest in the UK.”

The government has said it intends to proscribe Palestine Action following members of the group breaking into RAF Brize Norton, damaging two military planes.

A number of left wing MPs have already raised significant concerns about the proposed proscribing of Palestine Action.

Palestine Action describes itself as “a direct action movement committed to ending global participation in Israel’s genocidal and apartheid regime.”

621 public figures had signed the statement at the time of publication.

Chris Jarvis is head of strategy and development at Left Foot Forward

UK

Yvette Cooper vows to ban Palestine Action under anti-terrorism laws

“Remember when they called Nelson Mandela a terrorist.”

Haroon Siddique and Geneva Abdul
Mon, June 23, 2025

  THE GUARDIAN

A protester holds up a placard during a demonstration in support of Palestine Action in Trafalgar Square, London, on Monday.

Photograph: Sean Smith/The Guardian

The home secretary has said she will ban Palestine Action under anti-terrorism laws, ignoring a warning from the group’s solicitors that the proposal was “unlawful, dangerous and ill thought out”.

In a statement to parliament on Monday, three days after activists from the group broke into RAF Brize Norton, Yvette Cooper said a draft proscription order would be laid in parliament on 30 June. If passed, it would make it illegal to be a member of, or invite support for, Palestine Action.

The group, founded in 2020, says it aims to prevent the commission of genocide and war crimes in Palestine and to expose and target property and premises connected to such crimes against humanity.

Many of its activists have been acquitted by juries in the past and a letter from Kellys Solicitors, which represents several Palestine Action activists, sent to Cooper on Monday said the group “has gathered a significant level of public support”.

But in her statement, the home secretary said: “The disgraceful attack on Brize Norton in the early hours of the morning on Friday 20 June is the latest in a long history of unacceptable criminal damage committed by Palestine Action. The UK’s defence enterprise is vital to the nation’s national security and this government will not tolerate those that put that security at risk.”

Palestine Action called the proposed ban “unhinged” and accused Keir Starmer of “rank hypocrisy”, given that he defended protesters who broke into RAF Fairford in 2003 to stop US bombers heading to Iraq.

Describing its members as “teachers, nurses, students and parents”, it said: “This is an unhinged reaction to an action spraying paint in protest [at] the UK government arming Israel’s slaughter of the Palestinian people.

“The real crime here is not red paint being sprayed on these warplanes, but the war crimes that have been enabled with those planes because of the UK government’s complicity in Israel’s genocide.”

It said Cooper’s statement repeated a series of categorically false claims made by pro-Israel groups and that its lawyers were pursuing all avenues for legal challenge.

The letter to Cooper from Kellys, shared exclusively with the Guardian, said there were no previous instances of direct action protest organisations being proscribed under the Terrorism Act 2000, despite several others having used comparable methods to Palestine Action, and that it was a “terrifying precedent” to place it alongside groups such as Islamic State, al-Qaida or National Action.

It said: “Whilst some actions of those associated with Palestine Action have involved damage to property, activists do not advocate or intend unlawful violence against the person. A significant number of actions associated with Palestine Action have used entirely conventional campaigning methods such as marches, rallies and demos. It is an authoritarian turn and an abuse of language to label them as a ‘terrorist’ organisation.

“The proposal to proscribe Palestine Action is wholly unprecedented and constitutes an unlawful, dangerous and ill thought out attack on freedom of expression and assembly.”



Amnesty International and Liberty also wrote a joint letter to Cooper before the announcement to express their concerns.

The former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn called the government’s decision “as absurd as it is authoritarian”, adding: “It represents a draconian assault on democratic right to protest and is a disgraceful attempt to hide the real meaning of violence: the mass murder of Palestinians.”

The Labour peer and barrister John Hendy KC said: “This is an abuse of anti-terrorist legislation which was passed to apply to terrorist activities, not non-violent protest. There is a full armoury of criminal laws to deal with unlawful non-violent protest, as the PM knows better than most.”

The former justice secretary Charlie Falconer said on Sunday that the “sort of demonstration” at Brize Norton would not justify proscription, “so there must be something else that I don’t know about”.

The home secretary’s statement appeared to offer no new information about the group. Cooper said it had been deemed to meet the threshold for proscription “through a robust evidence-based process, by a wide range of experts from across government, the police and the security services”.

On Sunday night, the Metropolitan police placed public order restrictions on a planned solidarity demonstration for Palestine Action, so hundreds of supporters instead took to the streets surrounding Trafalgar Square in London on Monday afternoon.

A Met spokesperson said 13 people had been arrested, including six people for assaulting an emergency worker. “While the protest initially began in a peaceful manner, officers faced violence when they went into the crowd to speak to three individuals whose behaviour was arousing suspicion,” they said.

“This sequence of events repeated itself on multiple occasions, with officers being surrounded on each occasion they tried to deal with an incident.”

As arrests were made, protesters chanted “Let them go” at lines of police. Those in attendance called the government decision “anti-democratic” and a shocking overreach.

Among those concerned was Nasiya, who has lived in London for 20 years. Born and raised in South Africa, she knew what apartheid looked like first-hand, she said, as she held a placard that said: “Remember when they called Nelson Mandela a terrorist.”

MPs raise concerns about Labour’s plan to proscribe Palestine Action as terror group

Olivia Barber

Yesterday
Left Foot Forward


‘Such a move would be completely non-proportional and a hugely worrying restriction on the right to peaceful protest’

MPs have voiced concern as Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has said the government plans to proscribe Palestine Action under terrorism laws after they targeted an RAF base last week.

A draft proscription order will be presented to Parliament next Monday, and if passed, will make it illegal to be part of or “invite support for” the pro-Palestinian protest network under Section 3 of the Terrorism Act 2000.

In a written statement to Parliament today, Cooper said that since it was formed in 2020, “Palestine Action has orchestrated a nationwide campaign of direct criminal action against businesses and institutions”.

On Friday morning, activists from Palestine Action, which uses direct action tactics to disrupt the UK arms industry, broke into RAF Brize Norton base in Oxfordshire and spray painted two military planes.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the actions, calling them “disgraceful” and “an act of vandalism”.

Today, Palestine Action are protesting outside Parliament about the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

Left MPs have warned that proscribing the group represents a misuse of anti-terrorism powers, and threatens the right to peaceful protest.

Labour MP Nadia Whittome said in a post on X: “Targeting non-violent protesters in this way is a misuse of terrorism-related powers.

“It sets a dangerous precedent, which governments in future could further use against their critics,” adding that “we should all be concerned” about the Home Secretary’s plan.

Ellie Chowns, a Green MP, wrote on X that she was “deeply concerned” about the announcement. She said: “This is a shocking overreaction to a couple of protestors using paint.

“Such a move would be completely non-proportional and a hugely worrying restriction on the right to peaceful protest which is a cornerstone of democracy.”

Irish novelist Sally Rooney has written about the government’s plan to proscribe Palestine Action in the Guardian today.

While the Home Secretary has broad powers to proscribe any organisation “concerned in terrorism”, Rooney points out that this process has previously only been used against militant groups involved in or advocating for violent armed struggle.

Rooney warned: “If the government proceeds down this path, any ordinary person in the UK could in theory be sent to prison simply for expressing verbal support for non-violent activism.”

She added that: “Palestine Action is not an armed group. It has never been responsible for any fatalities and does not pose any risk to the public.”

The bestselling author said she supports Palestine Action wholeheartedly and added that she “will continue to, whether that becomes a terrorist offence or not”.

Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward

Who are Palestine Action and why is the UK government banning them?

Albert Toth
Mon, June 23, 2025

THE INDEPENDENT

The pro-Palestine activist group that broke into an Oxfordshire RAF base to spray-paint military planes has been banned by the Home Office .

Formed in 2020, Palestine Action has conducted a series of direct action protests over the past five years, largely against arms manufacturers operating in the UK and selling weapons to Israel.

Home secretary Yvette Cooper has now confirmed her decision to proscribe the group following its latest action, effectively branding it a terrorist organisation. This would make it illegal to become a member of Palestine Action or solicit support for it.

A spokesperson for Palestine Action said: "When our government fails to uphold their moral and legal obligations, it is the responsibility of ordinary citizens to take direct action."

Pro-Palestinian activists broke into RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire (Palestine Action/PA) (Palestine Action)

A protest in central London on Monday in response to the fallout, has seen police clash with demonstrators. Met Police chief Mark Rowley said before the event he was “shocked and frustrated” by the plans, adding that he believed the action goes “beyond what most would see as legitimate protest."
What else has Palestine Action done in the past?

Palestine Action was established on 30 July 2020 after a group of activists broke into and spray-painted the interior of Elbit Systems’ UK headquarters in London.

The defence contractor has continued to be the main target of Palestine Action’s protests since its formation. Based in Israel Elbit Systems is the country’s largest weapons manufacturer. It supplies the majority of the drones and land-based equipment used by the Israeli military.

In the UK, Elbit has multiple UK subsidiaries which operate across 16 sites across the country, with 680 employees. Its latest new site is a manufacturing and development facility in Bristol, opened in 2023.

On 19 May 2021 four members of Palestine Action dressed in boilers suits climbed onto the roof of an Elbit-owned drone factory in Leicester. The action was taken in response to a period of unrest in May of that year, in which 256 Palestinians and 17 Israelis were killed.

Home secretary Yvette Cooper is understood to have decided to proscribe Palestine Action (House of Commons)

Similar occupations have been carried out at Elbit-owned sites in Bristol, Oldham and Tamworth.

In April 2024, the group targeted Somerset County Hall, a Grade II-listed building owned by Somerset council, by splashing it with red paint. This was in response to the local authority leasing a building to Elbit near Bristol

This site was targeted by Palestine Action for the 17th time in March 2025, with four of the groups members using a cherry picker to damage the building. One used a sledgehammer on a rope to smash windows while others spray painted the building.

In June 2025, activists from the group damaged two planes at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire by using repurposed fire extinguishers to spray red paint into their turbine engines and cause further damage with crowbars.

Palestine Action say its members did this due to flights that leave the site daily for Akrotiri in Cyprus, the site of a base used for military operations in Gaza and across the Middle East.

A spokesperson for the group said: “By putting the planes out of service, activists have interrupted Britain’s direct participation in the commission of genocide and war crimes across the Middle East.”

Ban on Palestine Action would have ‘chilling effect’ on other protest groups

Haroon Siddique Legal affairs correspondent

THE GUARDIAN
Mon, June 23, 2025 

Pro-Palestine protesters protest in Trafalgar Square, including supporters of Palestine Action.Photograph: Sean Smith/The Guardian

The crackdown on protest in England and Wales has been ringing alarm bells for years, but the decision to ban Palestine Action under anti-terrorism laws raises the stakes dramatically.

As the group itself has said, it is the first time the government has attempted to proscribe a direct action protest organisation under the Terrorism Act, placing it alongside the likes of Islamic State, al-Qaida and National Action.

The home secretary, Yvette Cooper, said the proposed ban was evidence-based and had been assessed by a wide range of experts.


In several attacks, Palestine Action has committed acts of serious damage to property with the aim of progressing its political cause and influencing the government,” she said.

Proscribing the group, which uses direct action mainly to target Israeli weapons factories in the UK, would make it illegal not only to be a member of Palestine Action but to show support for it.

Given that neither its methods nor its targets are unprecedented, a ban is likely to make every group which has an aim of “progressing its political cause and influencing the government” through protest think twice.

Greenpeace UK’s co-executive director, Areeba Hamid, said a ban would “mark a dark turn for our democracy and a new low for a government already intent on stamping out the right to protest. The police already have laws to prosecute any individuals found guilty of a crime.”

Laws passed in recent years have already increased police powers to restrict and shut down protests. At the same time, protesters have often been gagged from telling juries what motivated their actions and have received record prison sentences.

The final straw for ministers appears to have been the embarrassing security breach at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on Friday, in which two Palestine Action activists broke in and sprayed two military planes with red paint.

But protesters have caused criminal damage to military facilities in the past and even been acquitted for it, while Cooper herself admitted it might not amount to terrorism.

Before becoming prime minister, Keir Starmer successfully defended protesters who broke into an RAF base in 2003 to stop US bombers heading to Iraq. He argued that it was lawful because their intention was to prevent war crimes.

Palestine Action said that pro-Israel groups had lobbied for the ban and there is evidence to support that contention.

Internal government documents released under freedom of information laws have revealed meetings, apparently to discuss Palestine Action, between the government and Israeli embassy officials, although they were heavily redacted. Ministers have also met representatives from the Israeli arms firm Elbit Systems.

The organisation We Believe in Israel, which Labour MP Luke Akehurst used to be director of, began a campaign this month to ban Palestine Action.

In an accompanying report, it stated: “In July 2022, the group was investigated under counter-terrorism protocols following intelligence suggesting contact between some of its members and individuals linked to Hamas-aligned networks abroad (see: Metropolitan Police briefing, classified).

“While the investigation yielded no direct terror charges, it underscored the degree of concern shared by law enforcement agencies over Palestine Action’s increasingly radicalised behaviour.”

It is not clear how or why We Believe in Israel was granted access to classified documents.

There was no reference to links to Hamas in Cooper’s statement but she did refer to Palestine Action as threatening infrastructure which supports Ukraine and Nato, echoing language in We Believe in Israel’s report.

With the government already unpopular among many over its stance on Gaza, the planned ban risks looking like it is based on Palestine Action’s cause rather than its methods.

Akiko Hart, Liberty director, said: “Proscribing a direct-action protest group in this way potentially sets a new precedent for what we do and do not treat as terrorism.

“We’re worried about the chilling effect this would have on the thousands of people who campaign for Palestine, and their ability to express themselves and take part in protests.

“Proscribing Palestine Action would mean that showing support for them in any way – for example, sharing a post on social media or wearing a logo – could carry a prison sentence.”

UK moves to ban protest group Palestine Action

Peter HUTCHISON and Clara CANDILLIER
Mon, June 23, 2025 


Supporters of Palestine Action protest at Trafalgar Square in London as Britain moves to ban the group (HENRY NICHOLLS)HENRY NICHOLLS/AFP/AFP

The UK government announced Monday it would ban campaign group Palestine Action under anti-terror laws following a "disgraceful attack" on Britain's largest air force base last week.

The group denounced the proposed ban, announced by interior minister Yvette Cooper, as an "unhinged reaction" and its supporters scuffled with police in central London as they protested the move.

On Friday, Palestine Action activists broke into the RAF Brize Norton base in southern England, raising questions about security at the site and embarrassing Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labour government.

A video posted by the group showed two activists spraying a plane with red paint while roaming the base on scooters. Counter-terror police are investigating the incident.

Cooper said the vandalism at the base was "the latest in a long history of unacceptable criminal damage" committed by the group since it formed in 2020.

"In several attacks, Palestine Action has committed acts of serious damage to property with the aim of progressing its political cause and influencing the government," Cooper said in a statement.

She announced she would lay a draft order before parliament next Monday that would ban the group under Britain's Terrorism Act of 2000.

Labour holds a massive majority in parliament, meaning the proposal should pass easily.

Palestine Action condemned the proposed ban as an attack on free speech.

"The real crime here is not red paint being sprayed on these war planes, but the war crimes that have been enabled with those planes because of the UK Government's complicity in Israel's genocide," it said in a statement.

Cooper listed other attacks by Palestine Action at Thales defence factory in Glasgow in 2022, and two last year against Instro Precision in Kent, southeast England, and Elbit Systems UK in Bristol, in the country's southwest.

"Such incidents do not represent legitimate or peaceful protest," Cooper said.

"The UK's defence enterprise is vital to the nation's national security and this government will not tolerate those that put that security at risk," she added.

The ban will make it a criminal offence to belong to or support the group, punishable by up to 14 years in prison.

Cooper stressed that her decision "is specific to Palestine Action and does not affect lawful protest groups and other organisations campaigning on issues around Palestine or the Middle East".

- 'Too far' -

But Labour's former spokesperson on legal matters Shami Chakrabarti, speaking ahead of the government's announcement, said she shared concerns that a ban could be going "too far".

"From what I can tell, this is a militant protest group that engages in direct action and that includes criminality, no question, but to elevate that to terrorism... is a serious escalation I think," she told BBC radio.

Palestine Action says it uses "disruption tactics" to target "corporate enablers" and seeks to "make it impossible for these companies to profit from the oppression of Palestinians".

In recent months, it has sprayed the London offices of Allianz Insurance with red paint over its alleged links to Israeli defence company Elbit, and vandalised US President Donald Trump's Turnberry golf course in Scotland.

Last month, Palestine Action claimed responsibility for vandalising a US military aircraft in Ireland.

In London Monday, protesters surged towards police when officers tried to detain someone, while onlookers chanted "let them go".

"It's an attack on civil rights," 45-year-old demonstrator Joe Dawson, who works in advertising, said of the proposed ban.

"At most it's criminal damage, not terrorism," he told AFP.

Starmer's Labour government suspended around 30 out of 350 arms export licenses to Israel last September, citing a "risk" they could be used in violations of international law.

But the UK continues to supply components for F-35 fighter jets to a global pool that Israel is able to access.

Israel has repeatedly denied allegations it is committing genocide in Gaza during its 20-month-long military campaign following Hamas's attack on October 7, 2023.

Some 80 organisations are banned under the UK's Terrorism Act, including al-Qaeda, Hamas, and Russia's Wagner paramilitary group.

pdh-str/jwp/yad

Met Chief ‘shocked and frustrated’ at planned Palestine Action protest

Charles Hymas
Sun, June 22, 2025 
TELEGRAPH


Home Secretary expected to confirm plans on Monday to proscribe Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation

Sir Mark Rowley has said he is “shocked and frustrated” that Palestine Action is mounting a protest outside Parliament just three days after damaging planes at Brize Norton RAF base.

The Metropolitan Police Commissioner said he did not have the power to ban the protest because Palestine Action, which he branded an “extremist criminal group”, has not yet been proscribed.

Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, is expected to announce plans on Monday to proscribe the group, putting it on a par with Hamas, al-Qaeda and Islamic State.

“If that happens we will be determined to target those who continue to act in its name and those who show support for it,” Sir Mark vowed.

He revealed that the Met had laid out to the Government the “operational basis” on which it could consider proscribing the group following its attack on Brize Norton, in which activists breached security and sprayed paint into the engines of two Airbus Voyager aircraft.

His comments came after Lord Walney, the former Government adviser on political violence, told The Telegraph that MPs’ and peers’ security was at risk from Monday’s protest.

He said there was growing concern following a previous pro-Palestine demonstration outside Parliament two weeks ago, which saw peers “harassed, intimidated and obstructed”

Sir Mark said: “I’m sure many people will be as shocked and frustrated as I am to see a protest taking place tomorrow in support of Palestine Action.

“We do have the power to impose conditions on it to prevent disorder, damage, and serious disruption to the community, including to Parliament, to elected representatives moving around Westminster and to ordinary Londoners.”

Sir Mark Rowley says the Met is concerned about the Palestine Action protest outside Parliament - Getty Images/Leon Neal

He said members of Palestine Action were alleged to have caused millions of pounds of criminal damage and assaulted a police officer with a sledgehammer even before last week’s attack on Brize Norton. He noted multiple members of the group were awaiting trial accused of serious offences.

“The right to protest is essential and we will always defend it, but actions in support of such a group go beyond what most would see as legitimate protest,” he said.

“Thousands of people attend protests of a different character every week without clashing with the law or with the police. The criminal charges faced by Palestine Action members, in contrast, represent a form of extremism that I believe the overwhelming majority of the public rejects.”

Palestine Action has also targetted Trump Turnberry, a golf club own by Donald Trump - Milo Chandler/PA Wire

Palestine Action has posted on social media a call to supporters to join an “emergency mobilisation” on Monday at 12pm at the Houses of Parliament, with the headline “We are all Palestine Action”.

Some 60 peers have written to Lord McFall, the Lord Speaker, calling for a review of current security arrangements around Parliament with Scotland Yard and parliamentary officials.

Lord Walney said: “MPs and peers look like they have to run the gauntlet just to get into Parliament to exercise their democratic duty on behalf of the nation. This is putting their security at risk and clearly undermining democracy where parliamentarians feel they are afraid to go to work.

“The Met have frankly let people down recently in the way they have allowed crowds to physically intimidate people trying to get access to Parliament. There is a real responsibility for them to change their approach for this protest.

“This is an organisation set to be banned as a terrorist organisation which is connected to a number of trials going through the system involving serious violence against individuals.”

Jonathan Hall KC, the Government’s independent adviser on terrorism legislation, said that proscription of Palestine Action was “within the bounds of acceptability” even though it was on the basis of the scale of damage to significant infrastructure including military equipment rather than against individuals.

“All other terrorist organisations are banned or proscribed because they are using or threatening violence to people. This is an unusual one in this respect,” he said.

However, he suggested that Palestine Action had tipped over into “blackmail” rather than purely protest. “It’s gone to a point where they’ve started to say, we will carry on causing hundreds of millions of pounds worth of damage unless you stop,” said Mr Hall.

“And I think the way the law approaches that, there’s a difference between protest and effectively, blackmail.”

Palestine Action’s latest protest saw it spray-paint the engines of two Airbus Voyager aircraft a Brize Norton RAF base

However, Lord Falconer, the former Labour lord chancellor, said vandalising aircraft at the RAF Brize Norton would not solely provide legal justification for proscribing Palestine Action.

Asked whether the group’s actions were “commensurate with the need to proscribe an organisation”, Lord Falconer told Sky News’s Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips: “I am not aware of what Palestine Action has done beyond the painting of things on the planes in Brize Norton, they may have done other things I didn’t know.

“I think the question will probably not be what we know about them publicly, but there would need to be something that was known by those who look at these sorts of things that we don’t know about, because I mean, they got into the air base which might suggest they’ve got some degree of ability to make them dangerous, I don’t know.

“But generally, that sort of demonstration wouldn’t justify proscription so there must be something else that I don’t know about.”


Met Police head ‘shocked’ at planned protest in support of Palestine Action

Sam Hall
Mon, June 23, 2025

THE INDEPENDENT

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has voiced his "shock and frustration" over a planned protest in Westminster supporting Palestine Action.

He branded the organisation, which the Government is moving to ban, as an “organised extremist criminal group”.

Sir Mark lamented the current legal limitations, stating that until Palestine Action is officially proscribed, the force has “no power in law” to prevent the demonstration from taking place.

He did, however, issue a clear warning that any breaches of the law during the protest would be “dealt with robustly”.

The Home Secretary is scheduled to update Parliament on Monday regarding the government's intention to ban Palestine Action, a decision spurred by the group's recent vandalism of two planes at an RAF base.

Yvette Cooper will provide MPs with more details on the move to proscribe the group, making it a criminal offence to belong to or support it, in a written ministerial statement.

The decision comes after the group posted footage online showing two people inside the base at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire.


The clip shows one person riding an electric scooter up to an Airbus Voyager air-to-air refuelling tanker and appearing to spray paint into its jet engine.

The incident is being investigated by counter-terror police.

In a statement on Sunday, Sir Mark said: “I’m sure many people will be as shocked and frustrated as I am to see a protest taking place tomorrow in support of Palestine Action.

“This is an organised extremist criminal group, whose proscription as terrorists is being actively considered.

“Members are alleged to have caused millions of pounds of criminal damage, assaulted a police officer with a sledgehammer and last week claimed responsibility for breaking into an airbase and damaging aircraft. Multiple members of the group are awaiting trial accused of serious offences.

“The right to protest is essential and we will always defend it, but actions in support of such a group go beyond what most would see as legitimate protest.

“Thousands of people attend protests of a different character every week without clashing with the law or with the police. The criminal charges faced by Palestine Action members, in contrast, represent a form of extremism that I believe the overwhelming majority of the public rejects.

“We have laid out to Government the operational basis on which to consider proscribing this group. If that happens we will be determined to target those who continue to act in its name and those who show support for it.

“Until then we have no power in law to prevent tomorrow’s protest taking place. We do, however, have the power to impose conditions on it to prevent disorder, damage, and serious disruption to the community, including to Parliament, to elected representatives moving around Westminster and to ordinary Londoners.

“Breaches of the law will be dealt with robustly.”

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley (PA Archive)

A spokesperson for Palestine Action previously accused the UK of failing to meet its obligation to prevent or punish genocide.

The spokesperson said: “When our Government fails to uphold their moral and legal obligations, it is the responsibility of ordinary citizens to take direct action. The terrorists are the ones committing a genocide, not those who break the tools used to commit it.”

Cabinet minister Jonathan Reynolds said he could not rule out the possibility of a foreign power being behind Palestine Action.

The Business and Trade Secretary told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg: “It is extremely concerning they gained access to that base and the Defence Secretary is doing an immediate review of how that happened.


“The actions that they undertook at Brize Norton were also completely unacceptable and it’s not the first. It’s the fourth attack by that group on a key piece of UK defence infrastructure.”

The Home Secretary has the power to proscribe an organisation under the Terrorism Act of 2000 if she believes it is “concerned in terrorism”.


Proscription will require Ms Cooper to lay an order in Parliament, which must then be debated and approved by both MPs and peers.

Some 81 organisations have been proscribed under the 2000 Act, including Islamist terrorist groups such as Hamas and al Qaida, far-right groups such as National Action, and Russian private military company the Wagner Group.

Former justice secretary Lord Charlie Falconer said vandalising aircraft at RAF Brize Norton would not solely provide legal justification for proscribing the group.

Asked whether the group’s actions were commensurate with proscription, Lord Falconer told Sky News’s Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips: “I am not aware of what Palestine Action has done beyond the painting of things on the planes in Brize Norton, they may have done other things I didn’t know.

“But generally, that sort of demonstration wouldn’t justify proscription so there must be something else that I don’t know about.”

Former Scottish first minister Humza Yousaf said the Government was “abusing” anti-terror laws against pro-Palestine activists, as tens of thousands of protesters marched in London on Saturday.

Belonging to or expressing support for a proscribed organisation, along with a number of other actions, are criminal offences carrying a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison.


The Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) welcomed the news that Ms Cooper intended to proscribe Palestine Action, saying: “Nobody should be surprised that those who vandalised Jewish premises with impunity have now been emboldened to sabotage RAF jets.”

Former home secretary Suella Braverman also said it was “absolutely the correct decision”.

A pro-Palestine protester at Saturday’s march in central London said it was “absolutely horrendous” that the Government was preparing to ban Palestine Action.

Artist Hannah Woodhouse, 61, told the PA news agency: “Counter-terrorism measures, it seems, are being used against non-violent peace protesters.

“The peace activists are trying to do the Government’s job, which is to disarm Israel.”

Palestine Action has staged a series of demonstrations in recent months, including spraying the London offices of Allianz Insurance with red paint over its alleged links to Israeli defence company Elbit, and vandalising Donald Trump’s Turnberry golf course .

US vetoes UN resolution for Palestinian statehood in favour of never-ending negotiations

 
The United States vetoed a resolution to accept the State of Palestine as a full member of the United Nations. Of the 15 members of the security council, 12 voted in favour, 2 abstained and the US opposed.

April 19, 2024

The US has vetoed a UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution that would have paved the way for the State of Palestine to gain full membership at the UN. The vote, held during a lengthy session in New York yesterday, saw 12 countries vote in favour of the resolution, while Britain and Switzerland abstained.

Robert Wood, the US deputy envoy to the UN, defended the veto, stating that Washington believes the only path to Palestinian statehood is through direct negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians.

The US has overseen direct negotiations since the 1990s with the Oslo Accords marking the beginning of formal negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO). Direct negotiations failed to deliver Palestinians the dream of statehood and instead under US watch, Israel further entrenched its illegal occupation and annexed the very territory set aside for a Palestinian state.

The resolution’s failure was widely anticipated, as the US, a staunch ally of Israel, holds veto power at the Security Council and had previously expressed opposition to its passage. The vote comes amid the ongoing Israeli aggression in Gaza, which has claimed the lives of nearly 34,000 Palestinians, the overwhelming majority of whom are women and children, and created a humanitarian crisis in the coastal enclave.

Read: Slovenia, Spain prioritise recognition of Palestinian State

Currently, the State of Palestine holds non-member observer status at the UN. To become a full UN member, an application must be approved by the Security Council and then gain support from at least two-thirds of the General Assembly.

Ziad Abu Amr, the UN special representative for the State of Palestine, appealed for support before the vote, emphasising Palestinians’ longing for self-determination, freedom, security and peace in an independent state.

Some 139 countries have recognised the state of Palestine and a positive vote in the Security Council would have been an expression of the will of the international community. Israel, aided by the diplomatic cover of Washington, has been hostile to the international consensus.

Israel’s hostility was on display yesterday when the ambassador of the apartheid state to the UN, Gilad Erdan, slammed the council for even considering a resolution on the recognition of a Palestinian state. “If this resolution passes – God forbid – this should no longer be known as the Security Council but as the ‘terror’ council,” he said.

Abu Amr dismissed the US claim that the resolution would jeopardise political negotiations and prospects for peace, citing the establishment of the state of Israel through UN Resolution 181 as a precedent. Israel along with several other countries gained recognition through a vote in the General Assembly and according to one opinion Palestinians can bypass Washington’s obstruction in a similar manner.

Despite the setback, Abu Amr expressed hope that the international community would grant Palestinians the opportunity to become an integral part of the global effort to achieve international peace and security.

U.S. vetoes Palestinian bid for U.N. membership

Riyad H. Mansour, Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine to the United Nations, addresses the Security Council meeting on the admission of new members. He spoke after a resolution on the admission of Palestine as a UN member state failed to pass due to the veto of a permanent member of the Security Council. 

Photo by Eskinder Debebe/UN/UPI


April 19 (UPI) -- The United States blocked a U.N. Security Council resolution on Thursday to recognize the state of Palestine as a full member state of the United Nations, arguing its acceptance by the intergovernmental body will not equal statehood for the Palestinian people.

The Algeria-submitted resolution received 12 votes in favor, two abstentions from Britain and Switzerland and a vote against by the United States, which is one of five permanent members of the 15-member Security Council with veto power.

The vote prevents the resolution from moving on to the 193-member General Assembly where another round of balloting would have been held on the admission of the state of Palestine, which is one of two non-member observers of the intergovernmental organization, along with the Holy See.

An emotional Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian Authority's ambassador to the United Nations, choked back tears during his remarks following the vote.

"Our right to self-determination has never once been the subject of bargaining or negotiation. Our right to self-determination is a natural right, an historic right, a legal right to live in our homeland, Palestine as an independent state that is free and that is sovereign," he said.

"We we will not disappear. The people of Palestine will not be buried."

The state of Palestine first submitted its request to join the United Nations in 2011, which failed to get off the ground, but worked in the government receiving observer status in November the following.

Its application was revitalized amid Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza, which began Oct. 7, when the Iran proxy militia launched a brutal surprise attack on the Middle Eastern country, killing 1,200 Israelis with another 253 taken hostage.

The war has put renewed attention on the lack of a Palestinian state, as the death toll of the war in Gaza has ballooned to nearly 34,000 dead, and more than 76,000 injured. Much of the enclave has also been razed by months of bombing, and as of Sunday, some 1.7 million Gazans, or more than 75% of its population, have been displaced, according to the United Nations Palestinian relief agency.

Both the United Nations and the United States back the creation of the two separate independent and sovereign states of Israel and Palestine as the answer to the Israel-Palestinian conflict, and Washington defended its veto Thursday because acceptance into the intergovernmental body will not bring about this two-state solution.

"We also have long been clear that premature actions here in New York, even with the best intentions, will not achieve statehood for the Palestinian people," Robert Wood, U.S. deputy ambassador to the United Nations, said during the meeting.

"It remains the U.S. view that the most expeditious path toward statehood for the Palestinian people is through direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority with the support of the United States and other partners."

He pointed out that the report the council received from the admission committee that the members lacked unanimity if the state of Palestine met the criteria for membership under the U.N. Charter.

"We have long called on the Palestinian Authority to undertake necessary reforms to help establish the attributes of readiness for statehood and note that Hamas -- a terrorist organization -- is currently exerting power and influence in Gaza, an integral part of the state envisioned in this resolution," he said.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Vedant Patel further explained that they believe the most expeditious way for the Palestinians to achieve statehood is through negotiations.

He told reporters during the press conference that due to statutory requirements, admission of the State of Palestine would require the United States to cease funding for the United Nations.

"The U.S. is committed to intensifying its engagement on this issue with the Palestinians and the rest of the region, not only to address the current crisis in Gaza but to advance a political settlement here that we think can create a path to Palestinian statehood and membership in the United Nations," he said.

Israel commended the United States for downing the resolution.

"The proposal to recognize a Palestinian state, more than 6 months after the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust and after the sexual crimes and other atrocities committed by Hamas terrorists, was a reward for terrorism," Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister Israel Katz said in a statement.

"Terrorism will not be rewarded."

Why did Biden block UNSC resolution for Palestine statehood? US stand Explained

ByVertika Kanaujia
Apr 19, 2024 

Why did United States block Palestine statehood bid at UNSC? Here's all you need to know


On Thursday, the United States stood alone in opposing a United Nations Security Council resolution to grant the Palestinian territories full UN membership and statehood. The U.S. vetoed the proposal put forward by Algeria on behalf of Arab nations, resulting in the resolution's failure. While twelve of the 15 council members voted in favour, Britain and Switzerland abstained.

The UN Security Council votes on a resolution allowing Palestinian UN membership at United Nations headquarters in New York, on April 18, 2024, during a United Nations Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question. (AFP)

Had the resolution passed, it would have moved to the U.N. General Assembly, where a two-thirds majority among the 193 member countries would be required for approval. Currently, around 140 U.N. members recognize the Palestinian territories as a state.
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Why did US oppose Palestine statehood at UNSC?

U.S. officials have argued that endorsing statehood at this time could jeopardize the chances of achieving a lasting peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. It insists a mutually agreed-upon solution is essential.

“President Biden has consistently emphasized that a lasting peace in the region hinges on a two-state solution reached through mutual agreement,” U.S. representative Robert Wood told the council. “This is the only path that ensures Israel’s security and its future as a democratic Jewish state, while also guaranteeing Palestinians can live in peace and dignity in their own state.

“We also have long been clear that a premature action here in New York, even with the best intentions, will not achieve statehood for the Palestinian people,” Wood said. The United States “fully shared responsibility with its Israeli allies for the deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians.”

Even before the vote it was widely anticipated that Biden would veto the resolution. The resolution needed nine out of 15 votes for passage and no veto from any permanent member, including the U.S. The administration had actively encouraged members to either vote against or abstain from the resolution to prevent a veto.
Council Members opposed US views on rejecting bid

Despite this stance, the majority of the council disagreed. Many argued that the U.S., due to its unwavering support for Israel, shares responsibility for the ongoing challenges faced by the Palestinian people. Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya criticized the U.S. veto as an attempt to resist the inevitable course of history.

Despite the U.S.'s strong stance, even its closest allies on the council did not support the veto. Britain, for instance, explained its abstention by saying that while they support Palestinian statehood, such recognition should be part of a broader process.

Algeria, the resolution's sponsor, remained resolute, declaring their commitment to the cause until it's achieved.
How Palestine called out US bluff at UNSC

Ziad Abu Amr, representing Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, pointed out that the same 1947 UN resolution that established Israel also called for a Palestinian state. He questioned how granting Palestinian statehood could hinder peace efforts.

“How could granting the state of Palestine full membership of the United Nations ... damage the prospects of peace between Palestinians and Israelis” or international peace? Abu Amr asked. “To those who say that recognizing a Palestinian state must happen through negotiations and not through a U.N. resolution, we wonder again, how was the state of Israel established.”


Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Gilad Erdan vehemently opposed the resolution, dismissing the idea of a Palestinian state meeting membership criteria.

US veto of Palestine's request for full UN membership 'shameful': Türkiye

Turkish deputy foreign minister calls for cease-fire in Gaza as soon as possible, Palestine's full UN membership and two-state solution

19/04/2024 Friday
AA

Türkiye's Deputy Foreign Minister Ahmet Yildiz

Türkiye's Deputy Foreign Minister Ahmet Yildiz on Thursday criticized reports of US plans to veto a draft resolution demanding Palestine's full membership at the UN, saying it is "shameful."

Speaking to Anadolu in an exclusive interview, Yildiz commented on the possibility of a US veto prior to a meeting of the UN Security Council to vote on the resolution.

"A cease-fire (in Gaza) should be reached as soon as possible. Palestine should become a full member (of the UN), and negotiations towards a two-state solution must be initiated with the help of the international community," Yildiz said.

Yildiz said full membership would be a good start for Palestine.


"But it seems that the US will veto it, and of course, it is a shameful situation."

He further expressed deep concern over the deteriorating situation in Gaza, citing widespread destruction and a staggering death toll of nearly 40,000.

Emphasizing the urgent need for international unity in pressuring for a cease-fire, Yildiz noted that while everyone criticizes Israel, there are countries that have reservations and objections when it comes to recognizing Palestine.

He highlighted discussions surrounding the vital role of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, or UNRWA, in supporting Palestinian refugees and denounced attempts to defund or dismantle the organization.


"The (Israeli) occupation forces in Palestine consistently violate international law and fail to meet their obligations," he said.

"It is evident that the current occupation cannot continue. We advocate for Palestine's full membership and urge the international community to initiate negotiations for a two-state solution.”

As expected, the US later vetoed the UN Security Council draft resolution.

The 15-member Council gathered in New York to vote on a draft resolution authored by Algeria recommending the admission of the State of Palestine for UN membership.

The membership was blocked with a vote of 12 in favor and two abstentions, including the UK and Switzerland.

Palestine denounces US veto blocking full UN membership bid

Move ‘unfair, unethical and unjustifiable, challenging the will of the international community,' says Palestinian Presidency

19/04/2024 Friday
AA

File photo

Palestine strongly condemned a decision by the US to veto a UN Security Council draft resolution Thursday demanding Palestine's full membership in the United Nations.

In a statement, the Palestinian Presidency called the move ''unfair, unethical and unjustifiable, challenging the will of the international community.''

It emphasized that this aggressive American policy towards Palestine, its people and their legitimate rights constitutes a blatant violation of international law.

It also noted that the US veto encourages the continuation of Israel's genocidal war against the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank, including occupied Jerusalem.


The Presidency underscored that the veto exposes the contradictions in US policy, which claims to support a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict while preventing the international community from implementing this solution through its repeated use of the veto.

The 15-member UN Security Council gathered in New York to vote on a draft resolution authored by Algeria recommending the admission of the State of Palestine for UN membership.

The membership was blocked with a vote of 12 in favor and two abstentions, including the UK and Switzerland.

​​​​​​​Before the voting, Algeria's envoy to the UN Amar Bendjama said it is time for Palestine to take its rightful place among the community of nations, and seeking UN membership is a fundamental expression of Palestinian self-determination.


Palestine was accepted as an observer state of the UN General Assembly in 2012, allowing its envoy to participate in debates and UN organizations but without a vote.

States are admitted to membership in the UN by a decision of the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council, according to the UN Charter.

A council resolution needs at least nine votes in favor and no vetoes by the permanent members -- US, Britain, France, Russia or China -- to pass.

Palestine's application for full UN membership comes amid a deadly Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas, which has killed nearly 34,000 Palestinians.

UAE regrets Security Council failure to adopt full UN membership for Palestine

The Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, Philippe Lazzarini, top centre left, addresses the UNSC meeting at UN Headquarters. AP

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

The UAE expressed its regret at the failure of the UN Security Council to adopt the draft resolution accepting full membership of the State of Palestine in the United Nations, and stressed that granting Palestine full membership is an important step to enhance peace efforts in the region.

Khalifa Shaheen Al Marar, Minister of State, explained in a statement on Friday, that the UAE is steadfast in its commitment to promoting peace and justice and preserving the rights of the brotherly Palestinian people, achieving the two-state solution and establishing an independent and sovereign Palestinian state, in accordance with international legitimacy resolutions and relevant agreements requiring an end to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

He said: The UAE has always called on the international community to strengthen all efforts made to achieve comprehensive and just peace, as this is the only way for the region to emerge from the cycle of tension, violence and instability.

Al Marar stressed the UAE’s position on the necessity of supporting all regional and international efforts to advance the peace process in the Middle East, as well as putting an end to the illegal practices that threaten the two-state solution and the right to self-determination for the brotherly Palestinian people, by supporting the achievement of a just, lasting and comprehensive solution that achieves security, stability and prosperity for the Palestinian and Israeli peoples and the entire region.

Also during the day, Saudi Arabia expressed regret over the failure of the UN Security Council to adopt a draft resolution accepting full membership of the State of Palestine in the United Nations.

The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said in a statement on Friday that it expresses its deep regret over the inability of the Security Council to enable Palestine to become a full member of the United Nations, against the backdrop of the United States use of its veto.

The vote in the 15-member Security Council was 12 in favour, the United States opposed and two abstentions, from the United Kingdom and Switzerland. US allies France, Japan and South Korea supported the resolution.

Algerian UN Ambassador Amar Bendjama, the Arab representative on the council who introduced the resolution, called Palestine’s admission "a critical step toward rectifying a longstanding injustice" and said that "peace will come from Palestine’s inclusion, not from its exclusion.”

Draft resolution demanding Palestine's full membership at UN

'Ireland fully supports UN membership and will vote in favour of any UNGA resolution to that end,' says Irish foreign minister

Burak Bir |19.04.2024 - 

Irish Foreign Minister Michael Martin

LONDON

Ireland is "disappointed" at failure of Security Council vote demanding Palestine's full membership at UN, the country's foreign minister said Thursday.

"Disappointed at outcome of UN Security Council vote on Palestinian UN membership. It is past time for Palestine to take its rightful place amongst the nations of the world," Micheal Martin wrote on X.

His reaction came just after the US vetoes UN Security Council draft resolution that demanding Palestine's full membership at the UN.

The membership was blocked with a vote of 12 in favor and two abstentions, including the UK and Switzerland.

"Ireland fully supports UN membership and will vote in favour of any UNGA resolution to that end," he added.

Ireland is among a few European nations, including Spain that already committed to recognizing the Palestinian state.

 

Chinese envoy criticizes questioning of Palestine's eligibility for UN membership

Xinhua

2024-04-19       

A Chinese envoy on Thursday strongly criticized countries that question Palestine's eligibility for UN membership under the UN Charter, emphasizing that statehood is an "inalienable national right" of the Palestinian people.

During his statement following a vote in which the United States vetoed a draft resolution for Palestine's full membership to the UN, Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, expressed profound disappointment.

"Today is a sad day," because the US veto has ruthlessly dashed "the decades-long dream of the Palestinian people," he said.

Fu highlighted the contradiction in the arguments presented by some nations regarding Palestine's governance capabilities.

"The claim that the State of Palestine does not have the capacity to govern does not align with the reality on the ground," he said, noting significant changes over the past 13 years, including the expansion of settlements in the West Bank.

"Palestine's survival space as a state has been constantly squeezed, and the foundation of the two-state solution has been continuously eroded," he added, condemning what he described as "gangster logic that confuses right and wrong."

Additionally, Fu condemned the implications made by some countries that questioned whether Palestine is a peace-loving state, a criterion for UN membership. "Such an allegation is outrageous and a step too far," Fu said.

He further criticized the political calculations behind opposing Palestine's full membership, suggesting, "If it is out of political calculation to oppose Palestine's full membership of the UN, it would be better to simply say so, instead of making excuses to re-victimize the Palestinian people."

On the broader implications of denying Palestine full membership, Fu argued that this action puts the cart before the horse, especially as "the Israeli side is rejecting the two-state solution more and more clearly."

He advocated for Palestine's full membership as a means to grant it equal status with Israel, which could help create conditions for the resumption of negotiations.

"The wheel of history is rolling forward, and the trend of the times is irresistible," Fu said, expressing confidence that "the day will come when the State of Palestine will enjoy the same rights as other member states at the UN, and the two states of Palestine and Israel will be able to live side by side in peace."

Fu reaffirmed China's commitment to continuing its efforts and playing a constructive role in realizing this vision, hoping for a future where "the Palestinian and Israeli peoples can live in tranquility and happiness."

Source: Xinhua   Editor: Li Jiaohao