Palestine: Recognition Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateDepartment: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
Lord McDonald of Salford
Main Page: Lord McDonald of Salford (Crossbench - Life peer)Department Debates - View all Lord McDonald of Salford's debates with the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
(2 years, 7 months ago)
Lords ChamberRead Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con)
My Lords, I share my noble friend’s view. As I have said right from the start, in answer to the original Question, it is the United Kingdom Government’s position—and, I am sure, the position of Her Majesty’s Opposition—that we want to see open, flourishing, pluralistic democracies everywhere across the world.
Lord McDonald of Salford (CB)
My Lords, the Montevideo convention of 1933 stipulated three requirements for a state: control of a defined territory, a permanent population, and a Government whom the bulk of the population habitually obey. Does the Minister agree that as long as the Palestinians do not fulfil the first and third criteria, sadly they do not qualify as a state?
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con)
My Lords, the basis of the criteria the noble Lord outlined is directly relevant. That is why, as I said in my original Answer, the United Kingdom will recognise a Palestinian state when it is conducive to ensuring lasting peace in the Middle East.