Starmer says UK will recognize Palestinian state unless Israel agrees ceasefire, ends Gaza suffering
Starmer, who is under mounting domestic pressure over the issue as scenes of hunger in Gaza horrify many Britons, convened a rare summertime Cabinet meeting to discuss the situation there. It came after he discussed the crisis with President Donald Trump during a meeting in Scotland on Monday.
Trump told reporters on Monday that he didn't mind Starmer "taking a position" on Palestinian statehood. On his flight back to the U.S. on Tuesday, Trump said the two never discussed the U.K. potentially recognizing a Palestinian state.
"We have no view on that," Trump said.
Israel rejects the announcement
Starmer said that Britain will recognize a state of Palestine before the United Nations General Assembly, "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.
"And this includes allowing the U.N. to restart the supply of aid, and making clear there will be no annexations in the West Bank," he said.
It seems highly unlikely that the government of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu could meet the conditions, which cut to the heart of the most intractable issues in the conflict. Netanyahu rejects the two-state solution on both nationalistic and security grounds.
Israel's foreign ministry said it rejected the British statement.
"The shift in the British government's position at this time, 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," the ministry said on X.
Starmer also repeated U.K. demands that Hamas release all the hostages it holds, agree to a ceasefire, disarm and "accept that they will play no part in the government of Gaza."
Starmer said in a televised statement that his government will assess in September "how far the parties have met these steps" before making a final decision on recognition.
Britain has long supported the idea of an independent Palestinian state existing alongside Israel, but has said recognition should come as part of a negotiated two-state solution to the conflict.
But Starmer said Britain was willing to take the step because "the very idea of a two-state solution is reducing and feels further away today than it has for many years." He said that despite the set of conditions he set out, Britain believes that "statehood is the inalienable right of the Palestinian people."
Growing pressure on Israel
Pressure to formally recognize Palestinian statehood has mounted since French President Emmanuel Macron announced that his country will become the first major Western power to recognize a Palestinian state in September.
As with France, British recognition would be largely symbolic, but it's part of a broader European and global shift against Israel and could increase diplomatic pressure for an end to the conflict.
More than 140 countries recognize a Palestinian state, including a dozen in Europe. Macron's announcement last week made France the first Group of Seven country --and the largest in Europe --to take that step.
Europe has widely soured on Israel over Gaza. Countries including Ireland, Spain and the Netherlands have sought to aggressively pressure Israel to let in more aid and cease military operations.
More than 250 of the 650 lawmakers in the House of Commons have signed a letter urging the British government to recognize a Palestinian state.
Britain has a particular historic role as the former governing power of what was then Palestine and author of the 1917 Balfour Declaration, which backed the establishment of a Jewish homeland.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said Britain bore a "special burden of responsibility."
"Our support for Israel, its right to exist, and the security of its people, is steadfast," Lammy told a meeting at the U.N. in New York. "However, the Balfour Declaration came with the solemn promise that nothing shall be done, nothing which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of the Palestinian people as well. And colleagues, this has not been upheld, and it is a historical injustice which continues to unfold."
France welcomed Britain's announcement.
"The United Kingdom is joining the momentum created by France for the recognition of the state of Palestine," French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot posted on X.
Omar Awadallah, assistant to the Palestinian Authority's foreign minister, welcomed Starmer's announcement and said the U.K. has a historic responsibility to recognize a Palestine state and would be "correcting a historic injustice," if it follows through in September. The Palestinian Authority has limited autonomy in pockets of the occupied West Bank.
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