UK to recognise Palestinian state in September unless Israel acts

Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Tuesday the UK will formally recognise the State of Palestine in September unless Israel takes various "substantive steps" in Gaza, including agreeing to a ceasefire.

The potentially landmark move, part of a plan for "lasting peace" that Starmer is putting forward, came after the UK leader recalled his cabinet from recess for urgent talks on the worsening situation in the besieged territory.

Starmer told his ministers London will formally recognise a Palestinian state in September if the Israeli government has not taken the steps demanded, his office said.

They include ending "the appalling situation in Gaza", reaching a ceasefire, making "clear there will be no annexation in the West Bank", and committing "to a long-term peace process that delivers a two-state solution," it added.

"I have always said that 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 later said in a Downing Street address.

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

Hamas demands

French President Emmanuel Macron said last week that his country would formally recognise a Palestinian state during the UN General Assembly meeting in September.

Starmer said "the UK will recognise 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".

The two countries would be the first G7 nations to do so, with Macron's announcement last week drawing a strong rebuke from both Israel and the United States.

However, Starmer is believed to have presented his plan for the long-running conflict in the Middle East to US President Donald Trump when the pair met in Scotland on Monday.

Trump appeared to give his blessing for the recognition move, saying during a wide-ranging press conference lasting more than an hour that "I don't mind him (Starmer) taking a position."

Speaking Tuesday, Starmer 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.

The UK leader added that London "will make an assessment in September on how far the parties have met these steps", adding: "No one should have a veto over our decision."

'Two-state solution'

Starmer has been under growing domestic and international pressure to formally recognise a Palestinian state, as the humanitarian situation in Gaza dramatically worsens.

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 formally recognise a Palestinian state.

The commitment 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".

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

It said "the first airdrops of British aid" were landing Tuesday, "containing around half a million pounds' worth of 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 a televised address.

"The suffering must end," he added.

Agence France-Presse