Bradford MP, David Ward, joined MPs from across the House of Commons to receive awards from Palestinian Students to mark MPs’ support for voting for the UK Parliament to recognise the Palestinian State.
The General Union of Palestinian Students held a celebration event in the House of Commons to acknowledge the historic vote in the House of Commons in October last year, when UK MP’s voted to recognise the Palestinian State.
Students traveled from across the UK and from as far as Gaza and the West Bank to join MP’s in Parliament and thank them for their contribution in voting for Parliament to recognise Palestine as a State.
The MPs were presented with awards that were made out of wood from Bethlehem and travelled all the way, intact, to be presented to Members of Parliament.
Tuesday’s awards ceremony was closely joined by a Westminster Hall Debate in the House of Commons on Wednesday which discussed the UK contribution to preventing conflict in Gaza.
Commenting Bradford MP, David Ward said:
“The event with the Palestinian Students was very special. It was genuinely a heartfelt experience to listen to students that had travelled thousands of miles just to say thank you, all for simply voting for something that is right.
“It was a reminder of the power and influence the UK Parliament still has and how we must use this appropriately to bring about a lasting peace settlement between Israel and Palestine.
“Whilst the bloodshed has thankfully subsided for the time being, the Palestinian people still, especially those in Gaza, effectively live in the world’s largest prison, blockaded by land, sea and air whilst the UK Government remains a passive player in the peace process.
“The UK Parliament is still a beacon of democracy respected across the world and we must continue to use our unique position in assisting the peace process by recognising two sovereign states, Israel and Palestine.”