UK will recognise Palestinian state in September unless Israel ends ‘appalling situation’ in Gaza, Starmer vows
Keir Starmer and his senior ministers have agreed to recognise a Palestinian state in September unless Israel ends its starvation tactics in Gaza.
In an ultimatum to Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, Sir Keir 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, agree to a ceasefire, and commit to a long-term sustainable peace, reviving the prospect of a two-state solution.”
He added that the UN must also be allowed to restart the supply of aid, following global outcry at the images of starving children that have dominated the world’s media.
The prime minister added: “Meanwhile, our message to the terrorists of Hamas is unchanged but unequivocal: 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.
“And we’ll make an assessment in September on how far the parties have met these steps, but no one should have a veto over our decision.
“So this is the way forward.
“We will keep working with all our international partners to end the suffering, get aid flooding into Gaza and deliver a more stable future for the Middle East, because I know that is what the British people desperately want to see.”
Explaining an apparent change in policy, Sir Keir said he was concerned that if a Palestinian state was not recognised now then there may not be a state to recognise soon.
He said: “In relation to the two-state solution of the recognition of Palestine – this is the longstanding Labour Party policy, it was in our manifesto. We talked about the right of the Palestinians to recognition, and we’ve always said that would be part of the process, that it would be an important part of the point of we thought it would have maximum impact.
“It’s driven today by two things, judging the context in the intolerable situation in Gaza, which is getting worse by the day, but also because of the concern that the very possibility of a two-state solution is reducing and feels further away today than it has for many, many years, and therefore, it should be seen in both of those contexts.”
The prime minister held the emergency virtual cabinet meeting where he laid out his plan for peace agreed over the weekend with French President Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Pressure had been mounting on Sir Keir to recognise Palestine as a state, but the decision to put the ball in the Israeli government’s court was a compromise to satisfy two competing factions in his cabinet.
Senior cabinet members who support plans to recognise a Palestinian state include deputy prime minister Angela Rayner, justice secretary Shabana Mahmood, energy secretary Ed Miliband and foreign secretary David Lammy.
Mr Lammy is at a conference in New York discussing recognising Palestine as a state where he is due to speak.
