{"id":222169,"date":"2026-01-05T19:50:07","date_gmt":"2026-01-05T19:50:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/222169\/"},"modified":"2026-01-05T19:50:07","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T19:50:07","slug":"palestines-ambassador-to-uk-hails-embassy-as-proof-our-identity-cannot-be-denied-palestine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/222169\/","title":{"rendered":"Palestine\u2019s ambassador to UK hails embassy as \u2018proof our identity cannot be denied\u2019 | Palestine"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Palestinian ambassador to the UK has said the inauguration of the state\u2019s embassy in London<\/a> is \u201cproof that our identity cannot be denied\u201d.<\/p>\n

Husam Zomlot hailed the upgrading of Palestine\u2019s mission in Hammersmith, west London, as \u201chistoric\u201d and \u201cmonumental\u201d.<\/p>\n

Speaking at a ceremony marking its inauguration as an embassy, he said: \u201cThis is not merely a change of name, and the plaque we will unveil shortly represents far more than formality.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a change of direction, reflecting the reality we are living today, a reality that unequivocally recognises, at long last, our inalienable right to sovereign statehood.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor generations of Palestinians in Gaza, in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in refugee camps and across the diaspora, this embassy represents proof that our identity cannot be denied, our presence cannot be erased, and our lives cannot be devalued.\u201d<\/p>\n

The upgrading of the embassy, formerly the Palestinian general delegation, follows the UK government\u2019s decision in September to recognise the state of Palestine in an effort to \u201cprotect the viability of a two-state solution\u201d in the region.<\/p>\n

The embassy\u2019s flag-raising ceremony on 22 September<\/a> was attended by MPs, ambassadors and a couple of hundred members of the public. Last month, Zomlot called for \u201ccomprehensive protection\u201d of the embassy<\/a> after it was targeted by masked men waving Israeli flags and union jacks. The building was defaced with stickers such as \u201cI love the IDF [Israel Defense Forces]\u201d, according to images captured by security cameras.<\/p>\n

On Monday, Zomlot said Britain\u2019s recognition of the Palestinian state was the result of \u201c100 years of relentless struggle\u201d, but added that he felt \u201cthe shadow that hangs over us today\u201d as people in Gaza were \u201cliving in hell\u201d.<\/p>\n

Gaza\u2019s health ministry says 422 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire took effect in October after two years of conflict. Most of the territory is in ruins, with its population of more than 2 million people living mainly in makeshift homes or damaged buildings in areas where Israeli forces withdrew.<\/p>\n

Monday\u2019s ceremony also heard from Obaidah, a 14-year-old Palestinian refugee wounded during the Israeli bombardment of Gaza last year and evacuated to the UK for medical treatment.<\/p>\n

Saying he hoped one day to become a Palestinian ambassador, Obaidah added: \u201cHaving the embassy in the United Kingdom is very meaningful. It is a place where our people are seen, where our voices are heard, and where our hope for justice and dignity lives.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Palestinian ambassador to the UK has said the inauguration of the state\u2019s embassy in London is \u201cproof…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":222170,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[42,43,40,38,41,39],"class_list":{"0":"post-222169","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-headlines","8":"tag-headlines","9":"tag-news","10":"tag-top-news","11":"tag-top-stories","12":"tag-topnews","13":"tag-topstories"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/222169","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=222169"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/222169\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/222170"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=222169"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=222169"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=222169"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}