DNTA is a member of the Britain Palestine Friendship and Twinning Network (BPFTN).
The BPFTN has issued the following statement in response to the UK government’s recognition of the State of Palestine
BPFTN Statement – UK recognition of the State of Palestine – 21st September 2025
While the BPFTN welcomes the UK government’s recognition of the State of Palestine, which is decades overdue, there is still a deafening silence on the actions desperately needed to stop Israel’s bombing and starvation of Palestinians in Gaza.
Recognising the State of Palestine must not be used as a political smokescreen. Neither does it ease the moral duty to take urgent action against Israel to stop the genocide in Gaza, the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians and unrelenting settler violence in the West Bank, who are murdering and stealing with impunity. A just settlement must include Israel ending its illegal apartheid occupation.
Together with our Palestinian friends in the network, we find it difficult to celebrate the ‘State’ of Palestine while the daily onslaught of bombing, killing and starvation of Palestinians in Gaza continues to escalate. We need to see constructive action taken by this government to end the killing of Palestinians, get urgent aid and medical supplies into Gaza and release the Israeli hostages and Palestinian political prisoners to their families.
The UN Commission is clear that Israel is committing genocide and that the failure of other states to take action to end it amounts to complicity. We are now at a historic turning point. Let it be towards taking real steps towards peace, where Palestinians can live safely in their own homes and land, with equal human rights in their own country and not under illegal occupation. Then and only then, can we truly celebrate with our Palestinian friends the ‘State’ of Palestine and give hope to build a peaceful and better future for all in Palestine and Israel.