Luciana Berger has insisted that “Israel’s legitimacy is a given” for the Liberal Democrats, despite the party’s manifesto pledge to recognise Palestine.

Ms Berger voted against the unilateral recognition of Palestine as the Labour MP for Liverpool Wavertree in 2014, and says Palestine should only be recognised in the context of a negotiated Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement.

But the party’s election manifesto contains no such conditions, saying: “We will…Officially recognise the independent state of Palestine, condemn violence on all sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and support Israel’s right to security.

"We remain committed to a negotiated peace settlement, which includes a two-state solution.

A motion passed at the party’s 2017 conference places recognition of a Palestinian state in the context of fulfilling both parts of the 1917 Balfour Declaration.

Ms Berger said on Wednesday: “It is important to note that the call for recognising Palestine at Liberal Democrat party conference came alongside an endorsement of the Balfour Declaration and Israel’s existence as ‘the national home of the Jewish people’, as well as an unequivocal call for all states in the region to recognise Israel. 

“It is refreshing to be in a new political home where Israel’s legitimacy is a given. I look forward to contributing fully to future policy debates on this issue.”