British MPs back Palestine state

UN chief Ban Ki-moon greets a Palestinian on a wheelchair as he visits the Jabalia refugee camp in the Gaza Strip yesterday.

British lawmakers has voted overwhelmingly in favour of recognising Palestine as a state, in a non-binding motion heavy with symbolism but unlikely to change government policy.

The move came ahead of United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon's brief visit to war-ravaged Gaza yesterday, two days after donor states pledged $5.4 billion in aid to rebuild it after a devastating Israeli offensive.

The UN Chief was driven through the ruins of Gaza City's Shejaiya neighbourhood and the nearby Jabaliya refugee camp, the scenes of some of the heaviest Israeli shelling in this summer's conflict.

In Jabaliya, he visited a UN school where in July shells slammed into two classrooms, killing at least 14 people sheltering there.

"The destruction which I have seen while coming to here is beyond description. This is a much more serious destruction than what I saw in 2009,” he said.

The motion was passed by 274 in favour to 12 votes against, to "recognise the state of Palestine alongside the state of Israel as a contribution to securing a negotiated two-state solution".

The heated debate in the House of Commons on late Monday was watched around the world, and could have diplomatic implications, bolstering a campaign by Palestinian authorities for recognition.

It comes after the Swedish government announced it would recognise a Palestinian state -- it would be the first EU member in Western Europe to do so -- drawing anger from Israel.

Prime Minister David Cameron abstained from the vote along with other members of the government, which backs a two-state solution. Fewer than half of all lawmakers cast ballots, but it drew cross-party support and was backed by 39 Conservative lawmakers and 192 Labour MPs including party leader Ed Miliband.

Critics however dismissed the motion as premature.

According to an AFP count, at least 112 countries around the world have recognised a Palestinian state. A Palestinian count puts the number at 134.

Pessimists say that a political solution seems light years away, pointing to "out of control" Israeli settlement building, "weak and divided" Palestinians and difficulty restoring trust after this year's Gaza conflict that killed more than 2,000 Palestinians and dozens of Israelis.

The emergence of the so called Islamic State and the crisis in Syria and Iraq threatens to take the international community's eye off the ball in the Middle East peace process as well, warn analysts.

And Israel cautioned that "premature international recognition ... actually undermines the chances to reach a real peace."