Over 100 MEPs support UN bid on Palestinian Return Centre

More than 100 MEPs have announced their support for granting the London-based Palestinian Return Centre (PRC) consultative status at the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported on Sunday.

The PRC received the petition, which was signed by the MEPs, on Friday evening. It included signatures of prominent European officials including the former Maltese Prime Minister and MEP Alfred Sant and Former Slovenian Foreign Minister and MEP Ivo Vajgl.

The petition, which called for the UK to support the PRC (which has been working in Britain for 19 years), was backed fully by the Irish Sinn Féin party, both in Ireland and in the EU parliament.

In addition, the PRC received further messages and signatures of support from British MPs, calling on the UN to immediately approve the PRC application.

The British MPs sent direct messages to the UK Foreign Minister Philip Hammond and Baroness Ilana, the UK foreign ministry official in charge of the UN affairs, calling for UK support for the PRC. Dozens of other UK MPs and MEPs are expected to sign the petition in the coming days.

Earlier this year, the UN’s NGO Committee recommended that the PRC be granted UN ECOSOC consultative status. The PRC was granted this status through a vote in which twelve states voted in favour, three voted against, and three abstained.