West Bank settlement expansion is threatening viability of Palestinian state, warns Jewish Labour MP

Settlement expansion in the West Bank is significantly threatening the viability of a Palestinian state, a Jewish Labour MP has warned, and does not represent the will of the Israeli people.

Peter Prinsley, the MP for Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket, joined parliamentarians from across the chamber and raised fears of the impact of the development and its prospects for a Palestinian state.

As the Conservative frontbench raised concerns about continued antisemitic content in the Palestinian school curriculum, Prinsley, who sits as a Deputy at the Board of Deputies, said:”I  accept that there are problems with the curriculum in the Palestinian schools, but the eyes of the world are now distracted, and settlement expansion continues, as far as we can tell.

“Now I am concerned that when the dust settles, and the rubble is cleared, the viability of the Palestinian state will be significantly jeopardised.”

Prinsley suggested that this expansion did not “represent the will of the Israeli people”.

Foreign Office minister Hamish Falconer agreed he was troubled by the speed at which Israel is pursuing the E1 project, which could cut the West Bank in two, separate it from east Jerusalem and in doing so, break continuous Palestinian land.

He said polling in Israel showed “time and time again” that the population there rejected settlement expansion.

The scheme will include more than 3,000 homes. Work on a bypass road for Palestinian drivers was due to begin in February.

Israel’s finance minister Bazelel Smotrich, who is sanctioned by the UK, has previously said the plans would “bury the idea of a Palestinian state”. It was given final approval in August last year.

Conservative former minister Sir Desmond Swayne asked: “What estimate has (Mr Falconer) made of the time that we have before a separate Palestinian state becomes geographically and economically utterly untenable?”

Falconer said: “We have pointed to a whole range of areas of concern in relation to the viability of a Palestinian state, one which has not received mention so far in our exchanges, but which is vitally important, is the E1 development.

“The British government is deeply concerned by the speed with which the Israeli Government is proceeding with a project which we opposed absolutely and completely.

“It is clearly designed in order to try to split two parts of the continuous Palestinian territory. We oppose it, and we will continue to do so.”

But Chairwoman of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, Dame Emily Thornberry, said: “The British recognised Palestine last summer, and that was greatly welcomed around the world. The concern now is that Israel may be about to annex the West Bank, and if Israel does that, then where is Palestine?

“The minister spoke last week and said that they were considering concrete steps, and he said that again today. I just wondered what they were?”

Returning to concerns about the Palestinian curriculum, Falconer told MPs a grade-by-grade external review was still on-going into examples of antisemitism.

He urged the Tory MP Jake Rankin to submit an example he raised of a PA  school text book for 14 year-olds that contained calls to “burn the Zionists” in it.

Rankin raised concerns about the PA to “change its ways” over problematic content in schools.

Falconer said the Government was still committed to a two-state solution, and referred to the previous three waves of sanctions by the Labour Government.