WASHINGTON, October 22 (RIA Novosti) - The vote by the British parliament to recognize the Palestinian state is a sign of the times that may lead to a wider recognition of Palestine, Ambassador Philip Wilcox, president of the US non-governmental organization Foundation for Middle East Peace, told RIA Novosti.
"I think it's a sign of the times," Wilcox told RIA Novosti in a Tuesday interview, referring to the UK parliament proposal to recognize Palestine as an independent state.
"I think there will be an increasing number of nations that will recognize Palestine," he continued, noting that he foresees a change in the US government's support for Palestinian independence. "I do think it will change, perhaps less rapidly than other countries," Wilcox added.
Despite the strong, historic support of the United States for Israel, Wilcox believes that a split between American and Israeli policy will come up.
"The United States has a very powerful strategic need for an Israel-Palestinian peace, and the US government will not continue to defer to Israeli policy forever," said Wilcox.
On October 13, 274 members of the British parliament voted in favor (compared to 12 votes against) of the resolution to recognize Palestine as a state.
Palestinians seek the creation of an independent state on the territories of the West Bank in East Jerusalem, partially occupied by Israel, and the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, and want Israel to withdraw from the Palestinian territories it took after the 1967 war.
By September 2013, the Palestinian State has been recognized by 134 UN member states, including Russia. However, none of the EU members have recognized the Palestinian state, except for the ones that have done so before joining the bloc.
