The unilateral establishment of an independent Palestine could lead to the "takeover" of Israel, a leading peer has warned.

Cross-bencher Baroness Deech spoke against a unilateral declaration of Palestinian statehood, calling a House of Lords motion on the topic "dubious" and warning of the danger of "falsely based" recognition.

"The practical result of a premature state of Palestine would simply be to free up the import of arms into the new state. The aim underlying this move is the takeover of Israel," she said.

"Why is there no preparation by the Palestinians for statehood? There is no governance structure, no independent administration, no industrialisation and no negotiation of trade agreements with its neighbour, Israel?"

Baroness Deech concluded: "Let there be a two-state solution by all means if the Palestinians will create a homeland, accept the refugees, lay down their arms and be a country of peace."

Unilateral recognition would reward terror and incitement

She was among the peers to speak in the latest parliamentary debate on Palestinian statehood last Thursday.

MPs had voted in favour of calling on the government to recognise Palestine alongside Israel ahead of a peace agreement in the region in a debate last October.

Last week's Lords session was led by former Liberal Party leader Lord Steel, who said Israel should negotiate with Hamas.

But cross-bencher Lord Pannick said there was "good reason" for Britain not to recognise an independent country at this time.

"It would hinder a peace settlement because what is needed on both sides is to focus attention on the painful compromises that have to be made in bilateral negotiations," he said.

Labour's Lord Mendelsohn said the motion was unhelpful.

"We need a re-energised peace process. A number of steps can, and could, be developed to ensure that this is possible. However, the current process of Palestinian unilateralism will not do it," he said.

Lord Bew, chairman of the Anglo-Israel Association and a cross-bencher, backed that view.

He said: "Is there any indication whatever that the debate in our own parliament three-and-a-half months ago has played into this in any particularly positive or interesting way? I detect absolutely no sign of that."

Liberal Democrat peer Lord Palmer added: "I do not welcome the resolution simply because, as a friend of the Israelis and the Palestinians, I do not believe that there is any alternative to those two nations, with the support and pressure of the outside world, sitting down and settling their differences in negotiations, with painful compromises being made by both sides."

Suggesting that politicians were using the topic as a "political football", Conservative Lord Leigh said the government should be commended on its position. He highlighted Hamas's desire to destroy the Jewish people and said the terror group would not be dissuaded from using violence if a Palestinian state was recognised now.

"Unilateral recognition of statehood would reward the Palestinian Authority, at a time of heightened terrorism and official PA incitement against Israel, for choosing Hamas as its partner," he added.

Labour's Lord Mitchell said a series of unilateral Israeli steps - including pulling out of south Lebanon and the Gaza Strip - had been "flawed". Unilateral recognition of Palestine would create similar difficulties.

Lord Winston, also Labour, gave the example of a Jewish wedding he had attended in an Arab village in Israel as a cause for hope, but said the Israeli government would continue to "dig their heels in" due to the "anarchy" in Arab states on its borders.

Believing that the Palestinians would recognise Israel's right to exist was the stuff of "Alice in Wonderland", Tory Lord Gold said - "it could never happen". Lord Turnberg, Labour, also urged the British government to encourage the two sides back to the negotiating table. Unilateral action would only "drive a bigger wedge between Israel and the Palestinians".

Among those criticising Israel was former government minister Baroness Warsi, who said: "When Palestinians see all around them the reality of a two-state solution diminishing, if not already over, they start to fight for the Palestine that they want to exist, even if it exists simply on paper, out there in the abstract."

Baroness Tonge urged British Jews to condemn Israel's actions. She said Israel was becoming a "pariah state" and fuelling antisemitism in this country.

Jewish community leaders should "speak out in condemnation of the injustice to the Palestinians at this time," she said.