LONDON MEETING TO SUPPORT THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY

Early day motion 859, tabled 8 March 2005 by Richard Burden (Labour). Signed by 59 members.

That this House welcomes the London Meeting held on 1st March to Support the Palestinian Authority; is encouraged by the highly visible international backing for the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, and the reforms that he has undertaken; further welcomes the continued commitment of the participants of the London Meeting to a two state solution, especially the acknowledgement of the necessity of a territorially contiguous Palestine; notes that the final communiquT states that the implementation of the commitments made by the Palestinian Authority would constitute a major step in fulfilling its Roadmap obligations; further notes with grave concern that whilst the London Meeting discussed the potential governance of a Palestinian state, the viability of such a state is under threat given the massive scale of continued illegal Israeli settlement construction, the route of the separation barrier and the vast settler road infrastructure; and urges the Quartet to enforce its calls for Israel to take action on its own Roadmap commitments, to ensure that Israel's Disengagement plan does not prejudice final status issues and to adhere to the ruling of the International Court of Justice of 9th July 2004 by immediately halting the construction of the separation barrier on Palestinian territory.

Signatures by party: Labour 46, Liberal Democrat 7, Labour/Co-operative 5, Plaid Cymru 1.