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The National
26 minutes ago
- The National
UK recognition of Palestine 'highly likely' after Israel's furious reaction
Britain has boldly made its move on recognising a Palestinian state but the question remains, will Israel listen? It is less than likely that Israel will seek to fulfil the four conditions that Prime Minister Keir Starmer set out on Tuesday, in his major foreign policy reversal, as it has vehemently criticised the British move. But academics have told The National that there is a chance that the major change in UK foreign policy could influence the Israeli government's decisions. More importantly, with a number of countries moving towards recognition, including France, it could have an impact on Donald Trump's thinking. The US President, it is argued, is the only leader who can sufficiently influence Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. UK recognition of Palestine as a state is now 'highly likely' to happen in September as Israel will not meet the conditions set out, Sir William Patey, co-chairman of the Labour Middle East Council, told The National. While he believed that recognition should have been made without conditions, it would at least give the Palestinians 'some hope that the international community has not gone soft on a two-state solution, even if one is not immediately in prospect'. Sir William, who is a former British ambassador to Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan, believes that Britain acting together with France and Saudi Arabia, could help 'end the carnage and to move things forward in a more positive light'. 'But they are up against the two most intransigent set of people that we've ever seen in the Middle East, Hamas and the most right-wing Israeli government that ever existed,' he added. President Sheikh Mohamed on Wednesday received a phone call from UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer when he praised Mr Starmer's statements regarding Britain's intention to recognise the Palestinian state. He also stressed the priority of reaching an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and continuing the flow of humanitarian aid into the enclave. Israel rejection Mr Starmer's conditions demand that Israel ends the starvation in Gaza, achieves a ceasefire with Hamas, refrains from annexing the occupied West Bank and commits to the two-state solution, otherwise Britain will recognise a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September. Israel's immediate response was to utterly reject the proposal with Mr Netanyahu condemning Mr Starmer's position as one that 'rewards Hamas's monstrous terrorism' and could ultimately threaten Britain. Co-operation on the conditions therefore seems unlikely, especially with a host of others pitching in, including former hostage and dual British-Israeli citizen Emily Damari, who said the UK's new policy would not 'advance peace – it risks rewarding terror' and sent a message 'that violence earns legitimacy'. There is also little hope from the Israeli opposition, with Yair Lapid, leader of the centrist Yesh Atid party, stating that Britain's position 'does not advance the two-state solution – if anything, it distances it'. Eyes on Trump The words are strong but ultimately all eyes will be on Mr Trump's reaction. 'Many people, even in Israel, really hope that this time Trump will be the one who will say, 'game over, no more war', and that it will put an end to the fighting,' said Dr Michael Milshtein, head of Palestinian studies at Tel Aviv University. The Israeli peace activist Gershon Baskin, who has close contacts with Hamas, agreed that 'everything is dependent – the war in Gaza, the hostages and agreements – on what Donald Trump does and nothing else'. 'If he tells Netanyahu to end the war, the war ends,' he added. 'If he tells Israel they can stay in Gaza, they'll stay in Gaza. If he says 'you got to get out of Gaza', they'll get out of Gaza.' He cited the Israeli government's rapid U-turn on aid after Mr Trump expressed dissatisfaction over the images of starving Gazan children as the far reach of this influence. So far, Mr Trump has been equivocal, stating he had 'no view' on the issue and did not vehemently object to it. 'I guess Starmer is doing the same thing as [French president] Macron, and that's OK. It doesn't mean I have to agree,' he said before departing Scotland on Tuesday. Pressure building But others see this as a longer-term shift that goes beyond Mr Netanyahu's time in office. Recognition is needed to 'kick-start a process' that would 'reach over the head of the Israeli government to the Israeli people' showing that 'this is the way forward', suggested MP Emily Thornberry, chairwoman of parliament's foreign affair committee. She told the BBC that Britain would remain 'long-term allies' with Israel but would not do so 'with this far-right government' and it is now down to Mr Trump to 'lean on' Mr Netanyahu Allied with France's decision last week to recognise Palestine, alongside the Netherland barring entry to Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, the UK's move could influence the US position. Just as Israel's population has been affected by images of starving Palestinians broadcast by its popular Channel 12 news, those same pictures are influencing Americans. 'People speak here about an international tsunami against Israel, that the gathering of American and European pressure on Israel can really have a massive impact,' said Dr Milshtein. 'Things can change' But what makes Mr Netanyahu highly unlikely to accept the British conditions is that the moment he agrees a ceasefire it will entail an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and his coalition government will almost certainly collapse. 'But everything is very dynamic, so things can change,' said Dr Milshtein. 'Right now it is Trump's opinion and let's see what will happen with that. He has already surprised us when he spoke about starvation in Gaza so it can happen again.' Bronwen Maddox, director of the Chatham House think tank, argued that Palestinian recognition would be an 'an unequivocal statement' that Britain views that as the only way to a secure future. 'The alternative to the creation of a Palestinian state is conflict without end, one that jeopardises Israel's security,' she added.
The National
an hour ago
- The National
UK Jewish body calls for open Gaza aid amid Starmer row
The UK's largest Jewish body has called for across-the-board access for aid shipments into the Gaza Strip in a statement critical of Israeli restrictions. The message on the plight of Gazans came as the community group pushed back against UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's pledge to recognise Palestine. The Board of Deputies of British Jews said the Israeli pause in fighting to allow aid was 'essential if long overdue', after a special meeting on Tuesday was called following Mr Starmer's announcement. 'We need to see a rapid, uninhibited, and sustained increase in aid through all available channels, and we need to see all agencies co-operating in this endeavour,' said the board's president, Phil Rosenberg. It is the BoD's first statement on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, weeks after internal rifts over the organisation's position on the war deepened. However, it also challenged Mr Starmer's pledge that he would recognise a Palestinian state next month if Israel does not agree to a ceasefire. The board said the promise risked 'putting gestures ahead of substance', which could also 'empower or reward Hamas'. 'We are therefore seeking clarification that the UK Government will not recognise a Palestinian state while Hamas fails to meet UK demands, including accepting a ceasefire and releasing the hostages,' Mr Rosenberg said. 'Recognising a Palestinian state without a diplomatic agreement risks putting gestures ahead of substance. 'However, our primary concern regarding the government's announcement is to avoid empowering or rewarding Hamas, or giving it incentives to continue evading a ceasefire,' he added. The pushback is shared by former hostage Emily Damari, a British-Israeli who was held in Gaza by Hamas for more than a year. Ms Damari said Mr Starmer's pledge was not 'on the right side of history'. 'Prime Minister Starmer is not standing on the right side of history. Had he been in power during World War II, would he have advocated recognition for Nazi control of occupied countries like Holland, France, or Poland?' she wrote on social media. 'This is not diplomacy – it is a moral failure. Shame on you, Prime Minister.' The board has faced escalating internal tension in the past three months over its public stance on the Israel-Gaza war, which critics say failed to reflect the diversity of views among British Jews regarding the conflict. Last month, five members of the BoD who had written an open letter to the FT criticising Israel's renewed military campaign in Gaza from March this year were suspended for two years. The BoD said at the time that it did not take issue with members' criticism of the war, but with the fact that their letter had been presented as a statement from the organisation itself. Yet the rift has caused a small but growing number of British Jews to feel disillusioned with the organisation, which has historically been the community's representative to British officialdom. The campaign group Na'amod, a movement of British Jews seeking an end to the war and a solution to the Palestinian issue, organised a protest outside the Foreign Office earlier this week calling for 'forceful action' on Israel 'to stop Israel's starvation, displacement and bombing of Palestinians in Gaza'.
The National
2 hours ago
- The National
High Court grants Palestine Action bid to challenge terrorist ban
Palestine Action will be allowed to challenge a UK government decision to designate it a terrorist organisation at the High Court in London, a judge ruled on Wednesday. The protest group's co-founder Huda Ammori sought to challenge Home Secretary Yvette Cooper's decision, which came into effect this month. Mr Justice Chamberlain approved the application on two grounds: first, that the proscription order " amounts to a disproportionate interference with the claimant's and others' rights to freedom of expression, and freedom to protest". Second was that Ms Cooper had not consulted the group before making the proscription order, in breach of "natural justice" and of Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights. Planes damaged The move to proscribe Palestine Action was announced after members of the group damaged two Voyager aircraft at RAF Brize Norton late last month. Police said about £7 million ($9.3 million) worth of damage was caused. The group claimed the planes had been involved in supporting Israel's military action in Gaza via the Royal Air Force base at Akrotiri in Cyprus. But the decision to designate the group was made as early as March, over some of its previous protests. Mr Justice Chamberlain rejected Ms Ammori's claims that the move was unlawful because it was influenced by "the views of pro-Israeli lobby groups", or that the group seeks "to prevent conduct which many regard as amounting to genocide". 'Reasonably arguable' However, he accepted other points. 'As a matter of principle, I consider that it is reasonably arguable that a duty to consult arose,' he said. 'Having considered the evidence, I also consider it reasonably arguable that there was no compelling reason why consultation could not have been undertaken here.' After Wednesday's ruling, Ms Ammori said: 'This landmark decision to grant a judicial review, which could see the Home Secretary's unlawful decision to ban Palestine Action quashed, demonstrates the significance of this case for freedom of speech, expression and assembly, and rights to natural justice in our country, and the rule of law itself.' Judges had previously denied Ms Ammori's legal challenge for an injunction on July 4 that would have postponed the proposed ban, citing a strong public interest in bringing the order into force. The latest ruling was welcomed by campaign groups, who fear the terror designation could have an adverse effect on the wider pro-Palestine protest movement. A representative for Defend Our Juries, the group organising the protests, said: 'Yvette Cooper has no one to blame for this crisis but herself. We are confident the High Court will soon strike down this absurd and repugnant order.' Any ban would mean support for, or membership of, Palestinian Action is a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in jail.
