After France, UK May Also Recognise Palestine As A State But There's A Crucial Rider
UK PM Keir Starmer, pressured by Labour and European allies, backs Palestinian statehood but demands a Gaza ceasefire first.
After France announced plans to recognise Palestine as a state, the British government signalled growing openness to the move but stressed that securing a ceasefire and addressing Gaza's humanitarian crisis remain immediate priorities.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, facing rising pressure from within his Labour Party and key European allies, reiterated that while Palestinian statehood is an 'inalienable right," formal UK recognition would not happen before a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is reached.
UK Science and Technology Minister Peter Kyle told Sky News, 'We want Palestinian statehood, we desire it and we want to make sure the circumstances can exist where that kind of long-term political solution can have the space to evolve. But right now, today, we've got to focus on what will ease the suffering and it is extreme, unwarranted suffering in Gaza that has to be the priority for us today."
Pressure from Labour And Europe
France's move, condemned by Israel and the US, has amplified calls within Britain to follow suit. Labour MPs, including London Mayor Sadiq Khan and members of the Foreign Affairs Committee, urged Keir Starmer to recognise Palestinian statehood immediately. Cabinet minister Shabana Mahmood said it would deliver 'multiple benefits" and signal a shift in Britain's position on the conflict.
Ceasefire First, Recognition Later
Despite the calls, Keir Starmer stuck to the UK's long-held policy of recognition at 'the right time." In a statement ahead of a scheduled call with French and German leaders, he called the Gaza situation 'an unspeakable and indefensible humanitarian catastrophe" but clarified that recognition of a Palestinian state must follow a ceasefire. The US has opposed France's move and does not support unilateral recognition of Palestinian statehood.
Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from geopolitics to diplomacy and global trends. Stay informed with the latest world news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated!
view comments
First Published:
Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News18
43 minutes ago
- News18
Donald Trump Says Epstein 'Stole' Women Who Worked At Mar-a-Lago Spa
Last Updated: Donald Trump claimed Jeffrey Epstein "stole" spa workers, including Virginia Giuffre, from Mar-a-Lago, leading to Epstein's ban from the club. US President Donald Trump on Tuesday alleged that disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein 'stole" young women who worked for the spa at Mar-a-Lago, his private club in Florida, and that one of those women was Virginia Giuffre, who was among Epstein's most well-known sex trafficking accusers, the Associated Press reported. This comes a day after Trump had said he had banned Epstein from his Florida club two decades ago because his one-time friend 'stole people that worked for me." Aboard Air Force One, while returning from Scotland, Trump said he was upset that Epstein was 'taking people who worked for me." The women, he said, were 'taken out of the spa, hired by him, in other words, gone." 'I said, listen, we don't want you taking our people," Trump said. When it happened again, Trump said he banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago. Asked if Giuffre was one of the employees poached by Epstein, he demurred but then said, 'he stole her." The White House originally said Trump banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago because he was acting like a 'creep." Giuffre died by suicide earlier this year. She claimed that Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's imprisoned former girlfriend, spotted her working as a spa attendant at Mar-a-Lago in 2000, when she was a teenager, and hired her as Epstein's masseuse, which led to sexual abuse. Although Giuffre's allegations did not become part of criminal prosecutions against Epstein, she is central to conspiracy theories about the case. She accused Epstein of pressuring her into having sex with powerful men. Maxwell, who has denied Giuffre's allegations, is serving a 20-year prison sentence in a Florida federal prison for conspiring with Epstein to sexually abuse underage girls. The US President has faced an outcry over his administration's refusal to release more records about Epstein after promises of transparency, a rare example of strain within Trump's tightly controlled political coalition. Trump has attempted to tamp down questions about the case, expressing annoyance that people are still talking about it six years after Epstein died by suicide while awaiting trial, even though some of his own allies have promoted conspiracy theories about it. Maxwell was recently interviewed inside a Florida courthouse by the Justice Department's No. 2 official, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, though officials have not publicly disclosed what she said. Since then, the Trump administration has sought to present itself as promoting transparency, with the department urging courts to unseal grand jury transcripts from the sex-trafficking investigations. A judge in Florida last week rejected the request, though similar requests are pending in New York. view comments First Published: July 30, 2025, 07:27 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Harvard to comply with Trump administration demand to turn over employment forms
Harvard University said on Tuesday (July 29, 2025) it will comply with the demands of President Donald Trump's administration to turn over employment forms for thousands of university staff, but for the time being was not sharing records for those employed in roles only available to students. In an email to university employees sent on Tuesday, Harvard said that earlier this month it received a notice of inspection and a related subpoena from the Department of Homeland Security, seeking to inspect the I-9, or Employment Eligibility Verification, forms and supporting documentation for university employees. The I-9 forms, from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, are used to verify the identity and employment authorisation of individuals hired for work in the U.S., according to the agency's website. Harvard said federal regulations entitle the government to access a U.S. employer's paperwork, including information on employment eligibility. Harvard has been embroiled in a legal fight with the Trump administration to have its billions of dollars of frozen federal funds restored. It sued the Trump administration earlier this year. The President has threatened universities with federal funding cuts over pro-Palestinian protests against U.S. ally Israel's war in Gaza, climate initiatives, transgender policies and diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Rights advocates have raised concerns over free speech, due process and academic freedom. Harvard said that, for now, it was not sharing records with the government for people employed in roles only available to students as it was determining if such a request complied with privacy protection requirements. The New York Times reported on Monday that Harvard was open to spending up to $500 million to end its dispute with the government. That amount was more than twice what Columbia University agreed to pay last week to resolve federal probes. The newspaper said negotiators were still discussing the financial details of the Harvard deal and that Harvard opposed allowing an outside monitor to oversee the deal. On Monday, the government initiated a probe into Duke University and the Duke Law Journal to determine if the journal's selection of its editors gave preferences to candidates from minority communities. On Tuesday, the government said it notified Duke of a freeze of $109 million in federal funds. Separately it alleged that the University of California, Los Angeles violated federal civil rights law. Both Duke and UCLA had no immediate comment.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
India cannot ‘switch off its economy', says envoy to UK on Russian oil imports
India's high commissioner to the UK Vikram Doraiswami has dismissed the western criticism of New Delhi's oil imports from Russia and said a country can't "switch off its economy". Doraiswami said many of India's European partners are also continuing to buy rare earth and other energy products from the same countries that they're "refusing to let us buy from". He was speaking to British radio station, Times Radio, last week after the PM's visit to London. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category CXO Product Management Healthcare Management Data Science Technology Data Analytics Degree Artificial Intelligence Digital Marketing Finance healthcare Operations Management Data Science others PGDM Public Policy Design Thinking Cybersecurity Others MBA Project Management Leadership MCA Skills you'll gain: Technology Strategy & Innovation Emerging Technologies & Digital Transformation Leadership in Technology Management Cybersecurity & Risk Management Duration: 24 Weeks Indian School of Business ISB Chief Technology Officer Starts on Jun 28, 2024 Get Details Skills you'll gain: Digital Strategy Development Expertise Emerging Technologies & Digital Trends Data-driven Decision Making Leadership in the Digital Age Duration: 40 Weeks Indian School of Business ISB Chief Digital Officer Starts on Jun 30, 2024 Get Details Skills you'll gain: Operations Strategy for Business Excellence Organizational Transformation Corporate Communication & Crisis Management Capstone Project Presentation Duration: 11 Months IIM Lucknow Chief Operations Officer Programme Starts on Jun 30, 2024 Get Details Skills you'll gain: Customer-Centricity & Brand Strategy Product Marketing, Distribution, & Analytics Digital Strategies & Innovation Skills Leadership Insights & AI Integration Expertise Duration: 10 Months IIM Kozhikode IIMK Chief Marketing and Growth Officer Starts on Apr 7, 2024 Get Details "Don't you think that that seems a little odd?" Doraiswami said. When asked about India's "closeness" with Russia and President Vladimir Putin, he said New Delhi's relationship is based on a number of metrics. "One of these is our long-standing security relationship that goes back to an era in which some of our western partners would not sell us weapons but would sell them to countries in our neighbourhood that use them only to attack us," the high commissioner said in an indirect reference to US-Pakistan military ties from the Cold War era. He said India has an "energy relationship" with Russia, which is the result of "everybody else buying energy from sources that we used to buy from earlier". "So we've been displaced out of the energy market largely, and the costs have gone up. We are the third-largest consumer of energy in the world. We import over 80% of our product. What would you have us do? Switch off our economy," Doraiswami said. "We also see around us relationships that other countries maintain for their own convenience with countries that are a source of difficulty for us. Do we ask you to come up with a little test of loyalty?" he said. India has called EU sanctions on Rosneft refinery in India as unilateral to which it does not subscribe. On the Russia-Ukraine conflict, he said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has repeatedly said that "this isn't an era of war". "He's made that point repeatedly, including with the president of Russia and with the president of Ukraine," he said. "We are very keen for this terrible conflict to stop, as we are keen for conflicts across the world to stop," Doraiswami added. Economic Times WhatsApp channel )
