Palestine All Party Parliamentary Group
Encyclopedia
Palestine All Party Parliamentary Group is a bipartisan All-Party Parliamentary Group
of Members of Parliament
in the Parliament of the United Kingdom
. The group's Chairmen are Crispin Blunt
and Richard Burden
.
, the West Bank
, on 31 January 2007. The PAPPG meeting with Hamas followed in the precedents of the European Union
's contacts with Hamas as well as Russia
's and Germany's, and preceded Turkey's official contacts with Hamas.
The Independent wrote that following the meeting the PAPPG issued a report that "said that the international embargo
had stripped Hamas of any real accountability for its performance to the Palestinian people, caused widespread misery and hardship among Palestinians, and forced the Hamas government to look elsewhere for support, including Iran
."
The group planned to meet with Palestinian Foreign Minister and Hamas official Mahmoud Zahar and Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, but were unable to because of factional violence.
's support for Israeli settlement expansion in the Palestinian territories which it occupied in 1967 an endorsement of "flagrant flouting of international law by Israel. Against this background, President Bush's claim that he still wishes to foster meaningful negotiations between the parties in accordance with the Road Map is meaningless twaddle."
All-Party Parliamentary Group
An all-party parliamentary group is a grouping in the UK parliament that is composed of politicians from all political parties.-All-party parliamentary groups:...
of Members of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
in the Parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
. The group's Chairmen are Crispin Blunt
Crispin Blunt
Crispin Jeremy Rupert Blunt is a British Conservative Party politician. He is the Member of Parliament for the Reigate constituency in Surrey, and since May 2010 he has been the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Prisons and Youth Justice within the Ministry of Justice.He first entered...
and Richard Burden
Richard Burden
Richard Burden is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Birmingham Northfield since 1992. Together with close friend and fellow ex-Young Liberal Peter Hain M.P., he was an enthusiastic supporter of the ill-fated Alternative Vote system in the May 2011...
.
Meeting with Hamas
Members of the PAPPG met with high-ranking Hamas officials in RamallahRamallah
Ramallah is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank located 10 kilometers north of Jerusalem, adjacent to al-Bireh. It currently serves as the de facto administrative capital of the Palestinian National Authority...
, the West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
, on 31 January 2007. The PAPPG meeting with Hamas followed in the precedents of the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
's contacts with Hamas as well as Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
's and Germany's, and preceded Turkey's official contacts with Hamas.
The Independent wrote that following the meeting the PAPPG issued a report that "said that the international embargo
Economic sanctions against the Palestinian National Authority
The 2006–2007 economic sanctions against the Palestinian National Authority were economic sanctions imposed by Israel and the Quartet on the Middle East against the Palestinian National Authority and the Palestinian territories following the January 2006 legislative elections that brought Hamas to...
had stripped Hamas of any real accountability for its performance to the Palestinian people, caused widespread misery and hardship among Palestinians, and forced the Hamas government to look elsewhere for support, including Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
."
The group planned to meet with Palestinian Foreign Minister and Hamas official Mahmoud Zahar and Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, but were unable to because of factional violence.
Press release
In a press release issued in April 2004, Burden called United States President George W. BushGeorge W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
's support for Israeli settlement expansion in the Palestinian territories which it occupied in 1967 an endorsement of "flagrant flouting of international law by Israel. Against this background, President Bush's claim that he still wishes to foster meaningful negotiations between the parties in accordance with the Road Map is meaningless twaddle."