I have submitted a bill to parliament for the UK to formally recognise the state of Palestine, this would be a significant step in supporting the rights of the Palestinian people. The time for Palestine and Palestinians is now. As Israel has done everything in its capacity to destroy any chance of Palestinian statehood – through settlement, land theft, and now the wholesale decimation of Gaza – British recognition will serve to reinforce the Palestinian people’s inalienable right to self-determination, which cannot be vetoed by Israel. This would further ensure a path to peace for everyone in the region and the world, and would not come at the expense of any community. In May countries across the world were joined by Spain, Ireland and Norway to officially recognise a Palestinian state. There are 146 of the 193 members of the United Nations that recognise Palestine as a state, the UK must align with these nations to support peace and justice in the region. The bill will be debated on 29 November and has cross party support and has been co-sponsored by: Siân Berry MP, Ian Byrne MP, Jeremy Corbyn MP, Stephen Gethins MP, Adnan Hussain MP, Kim Johnson MP, Ayoub Khan MP, Iqbal Mohamed MP, Brendan O’Hara MP and Liz Saville-Roberts MP. I urge you all to write to your MP to be part of the debate and support the bill.