Nearly 60 Labour MPs have demanded the UK immediately recognises Palestine as a state, after Israel’s defence minister announced plans to force all residents of Gaza into a camp on the ruins of Rafah. The MPs, who include centrist and leftwing backbenchers, sent a letter to David Lammy on Thursday warning they believed Gaza was being ethnically cleansed. They are urging the foreign secretary to take immediate steps to prevent the Israeli government from carrying out its Rafah plan, and to go further and recognise Palestinian statehood immediately. Photograph: AFP/Getty ImagesMinisters plan to recognise Palestine as part of a peace process, but only in conjunction with other western countries and “at the point of maximum impact” – without saying what that is. The letter was organised by Labour Friends of Palestine and the Middle East and signed by 59 MPs, including the group’s two chairs, Sarah Owen and Andrew Pakes.