The United Kingdom will recognize Palestinian statehood in September unless Israel takes significant steps to end the “appalling situation” in Gaza and meets other conditions, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Tuesday.
“Our goal remains a safe and secure Israel alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state,” Starmer said, according to a Downing Street statement.
The UK leader also called on Israel to “agree to a ceasefire and commit to a long-term, sustainable peace, reviving the prospect of a two-state solution.”
This includes, Starmer continued, “allowing the UN to restart the supply of aid, and making clear there will be no annexations in the West Bank.”
He said that the UK government has always intended to recognize a Palestinian state “as a contribution to a proper peace process at the moment of maximum impact for the two-state solution,” which he said is “now under threat.”
“As part of this process towards peace, I can confirm that the UK will recognize the state of Palestine by the United Nations General Assembly in September, unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza,” Starmer said.
Amid heightened fears of mass starvation in the enclave, Starmer called for more aid to reach Palestinians in Gaza.
“We need to see at least 500 trucks entering Gaza every day. But the only way to bring this humanitarian crisis to an end is through a long-term settlement,” Starmer said at 10 Downing Street.
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The British leader said his government supports mediation efforts by the US, Egypt and Qatar to secure “a vital ceasefire.”
“That ceasefire must be sustainable and it must lead to a wider peace plan, which we are developing with our international partners,” he added.
The UK, like the US, EU and Israel, has designated Hamas a terrorist organization, which would complicate any potential efforts to recognize a Palestinian state if the group were involved in governing.
Starmer’s announcement comes after French President Macron said his country would formally recognize Palestinian statehood in September.
International pressure on Israel to end its military campaign and allow the unrestricted entry of humanitarian aid into the besieged territory has been mounting in recent weeks as aid groups and the UN have warned of a famine in the Gaza Strip.
Israel has either downplayed or outright rejected claims of mass starvation in Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Starmer’s announcement “rewards Hamas’ monstrous terrorism and punishes its victims.”
“A jihadist state on Israel’s border TODAY will threaten Britain TOMORROW,” Netanyahu warned in a post on X.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry also rejected the UK’s announcement, saying London’s shifting position, “following the French move and internal political pressures, constitutes a reward for Hamas and harms efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and a framework for the release of hostages.”
DW
