Head of the Palestinian Mission to the UK H. E. Dr. Husam Zomlot called for the recognition of Palestine by the UK and a greater UK involvement in peace-making in the Middle East in a speech at the Oxford Union in Oxford University yesterday.
Dr. Zomlot made a case for the UK government to seize the opportunity presented by the vacuum, which has been created by the Trump administration.
Dr Zomlot commended the UK government for taking a principled position which included the defending the international framework for resolving the Palestinian-Israeli issue, opposing the US move on Jerusalem, doubling its contribution to UNRWA and keeping its vocal opposition against the illegal Israeli settlement.
He said that the current historic juncture at which the UK and Europe stand mean that there is an opportunity.
“[The UK and Europe] can take a lead in ensuring that the international community continues down the path of ensuring a global order based on justice and the rule of law.
Dr Zomlot noted that the current US stance on the settlements and the makeup of its so-called negotiations team removed any shed of doubt about its bias in favour of Israel.
He stressed that the Trump administration “not only has the US, in effect, backed Israel’s maximalist position on Jerusalem but also on all major issues” adding that “at least the Trump administration is no longer hiding its sympathies”.