Israel was born out of the previous British mandate of a geographical area called Palestine. The notion of occupation in a legal sense simply does not have a leg to stand on, he says. There may one day be such a state, but that depends on negotiations and factors which we simply don't have the time to address properly this evening.
Many of Israel's supporters, including Donald Trump, claim Jerusalem should be recognised as the country's capital city. After all, it has been the Jewish people's spiritual capital for millennia. But will recognising Jerusalem be the death blow for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process?
Arguing in favour of the motion "The World Should Recognise Jerusalem As Israel’s Capital" were Ehud Omert, former Israeli Prime Minister; and Natasha Hausdorff, barrister at Six Pump Court Chambers and a director of the NGO ‘UK Lawyers for Israel’.
Against them were former UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw and leading Palestinian activist, academic and writer Ghada Karmi.
The debate was chaired by Emily Maitlis, presenter of BBC Newsnight and one of the UK's best known broadcasters.
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