UK to recognise Palestinian state in September unless Israel acts

LONDON (AFP): Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Tuesday the UK will formally recognise the State of Palestine in September unless Israel takes various “substantive steps”, including agreeing to a ceasefire in Gaza.

The potentially landmark move, part of Starmer’s plan for a “lasting peace”, came after the British leader recalled his cabinet from recess for urgent talks on the worsening situation in the besieged territory.

In a televised Downing Street address immediately after, Starmer said the UK will recognise a Palestinian state if Israel has not taken the steps demanded by the time the UN General Assembly is held in September.

It must “end the appalling situation in Gaza, agree to a ceasefire and commit to a long-term, sustainable peace, reviving the prospect” of a two-state solution, he added.

“I’ve always said we will recognise a Palestinian state as a contribution to a proper peace process, at the moment of maximum impact for the two-state solution,” Starmer said.

“With that solution now under threat, this is the moment to act.”

The UK leader also detailed several demands for the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which is holding Israeli hostages seized in its attacks on October 7, 2023.

“They must immediately release all of the hostages, sign up to a ceasefire, disarm and accept that they will play no part in the government of Gaza,” he said.

Hamas demands

Israel promptly said it “rejects” the UK move, arguing it “constitutes a reward for Hamas and harms efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza”.

French President Emmanuel Macron said last week that Paris would recognise a Palestinian state during the UN General Assembly meeting on September 23.

On Tuesday France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot welcomed London’s declaration, saying it was joining “the momentum created by France” to “stop the endless cycle of violence”.

Although more than 140 countries already recognise the State of Palestine, the two European allies would be the first G7 nations to do so.

Macron’s announcement last week drew a strong rebuke from both Israel and fellow G7 member the United States.

Starmer said Tuesday his government “will make an assessment in September on how far the parties have met” the demands.

But he insisted: “No one should have a veto over our decision.”

Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy, attending a UN conference in New York led by France and Saudi Arabia to promote the two-state solution, echoed the sentiment.

Lammy said it was “with the hand of history on our shoulders” that London was planning to recognise Palestinian statehood, given Britain’s pivotal role in Israel’s creation.

The 1917 Balfour Declaration issued by then-UK Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour promised “a national home for the Jewish people”.

Growing pressure

Starmer has been under growing domestic and international pressure to formally recognise a Palestinian state.

Macron publicly pressed for joint recognition of Palestine during his UK state visit earlier this month, while an increasing number of MPs in Starmer’s ruling Labour party have been demanding action.

More than 220 British lawmakers from nine parties including Starmer’s Labour published a letter last Friday urging him to take the step.

It was included in Labour’s election-winning manifesto last year, as part of “a two-state solution with a safe and secure Israel alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state”.

But the pressure has risen as the humanitarian situation in Gaza has dramatically worsened.

Starmer’s office said Tuesday the UK had dropped its first aid by air into the Gaza Strip, as UN agencies warned that the Palestinian territory of more than two million people was slipping into famine.

It said “the first airdrops of British aid” contained “lifesaving supplies”.

“The Palestinian people have endured terrible suffering now in Gaza because of a catastrophic failure of aid. We see starving babies, children too weak to stand,” the UK leader said in his televised address.

“The suffering must end.”