Starmer says UK will recognize Palestinian state unless Israel agrees to ceasefire
Starmer called ministers together for a rare summertime Cabinet meeting to discuss the situation in Gaza. He told them that Britain will recognize a state of Palestine before the UN General Assembly, "unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza, reaches a ceasefire, makes clear there will be no annexation in the West Bank, and commits to a long-term peace process that delivers a two state solution." He also said Hamas must release all the hostages it holds, agree to a ceasefire, "accept that they will play no part in the government of Gaza, and commit to disarmament."
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.
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.
More than 250 of the 650 lawmakers in the House of Commons have signed a letter urging the government to recognize a Palestinian state. Starmer said that despite the set of conditions he set out, Britain believes that "statehood is the inalienable right of the Palestinian people."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Local France
an hour ago
- Local France
'Doesn't seem fair' - British pensioners speak out over apparent change to French citizenship rules
After almost eight years of living in France, British retiree Colin Howard, 68, decided it was time to apply for French nationality. "I feel French, I feel like I belong here," Colin explained. Colin, a certified B2 ( upper intermediate ) French speaker, has spent a significant amount of his time in France building relations with his local community. "Since 2017, I have taught weekly and fortnightly French lessons as a volunteer to non-French-speaking immigrants, and I continue to do this two years after retiring," Colin said. Using his background as a teacher, Colin also spent four years as a volunteer teaching English to a group of French people, and since 2021, he has served as the president of an Anglo-French integration association near his home in Charente, in south-west France. "I thought 'I contribute some to French society', so I'll give applying for nationality a go," Colin said. Colin sent in his application in October 2024. He supplied additional documentation when asked and passed various levels of checks, including the police visit and the 'assimilation' interview at the Deux Sèvres préfecture. Advertisement Over a year and a half later, in July 2025, Colin's application was rejected. As for the official reason of rejection, the local authority wrote: "You have never worked in France, and the entirety of the income you receive is not from a French source." "It does not seem fair," Colin said. "Whether deliberately or by accident, it discriminates against people of a certain age. "This is saying that if you are of a certain age, and you live on a private pension, savings or a state pension, if you apply for nationality, you will not get it." Colin's is not the only such case in recent weeks, with several retirees in France reporting on social media that they too have been turned down for citizenship on the grounds of not having income in France. The Local spoke to Liz Combes, a 73-year-old retired teacher, who was rejected in June 2025 on the grounds that she had no income in France. "I was really, really upset. I had been ill since then, and my friend noticed that I'd been ill since this all started. It's true. My health has been affected. I have put in an appeal, but I have absolutely no hope that it will work," Liz said. Liz and her husband bought a second home in France in 1996, which they renovated, and the pair became full-time residents of France in 2016, just before the Brexit vote. Advertisement Like Colin, Liz has a strong background of volunteer work and involvement in her local community. She said: "When we committed to being here in France, I said, 'I'm going to have to get involved in things.' "I got involved in our local Franco-British society as the secretary, and alongside the French president of the group, we set up a programme to organise local volunteers to come into schools and teach English. I'm still very involved in that." Liz submitted her application in March 2024, after passing her French language exam, and she had her interview in April. During the interview, Liz remembered the French official being impressed with her volunteer work. "It was all very successful. I had no problem speaking French. "The official told me that it would be normal not to hear for two months. She was very positive, but on the last day of the two months, I got an email with a letter rejecting me on the basis that none of my income came from France. "If I had known 10 years ago that I needed French income, I could have set up a French company to teach, but I was happy to do it for free. I did not need to be paid or get money for it. "The point is that I am retired. I have a very good pension, and I am no drain on society here. We have our health covered by the UK with our S1s, and we have our savings in French accounts. "I have contributed as much as I can. This new knowledge of needing French would I have applied for citizenship? The goalposts have been moved since May when this circulaire came out." Liz and Colin's rejections come despite the fact that over the past two decades, dozens, if not hundreds, of retirees in France have successfully become French - even if all of their income comes from a pension in their home country. Advertisement Both believe that their rejection was related to a recent memo ( circulaire ) sent around to préfecture staff, warning that they should reject applicants who earn the majority of their income from a non-French source. READ MORE: Why do French ministers love to send 'circulaires'? "My file was marked complete in January 2025. By March, I was invited for an interview on the 6th of June. Between those times, Bruno Retailleau (France's interior minister) decided to send his circulaire out about earnings in France," Colin said. While the circulaire, published on May 2nd, did not introduce any official legal changes, it did offer advice and clarification for préfecture employees, including on the topic of foreign-sourced income. Technically, this is not new. French case law has made it clear for many years that applicants must demonstrate that France is the "centre of their economic interests". The French government's Service-Public information page for naturalisations also specifies that applicants must demonstrate "professional insertion" in France, noting the applicant must have a "stable and regular income". Therefore it has long been the case that people living in France but working remotely for a foreign company would be highly likely to be refused for citizenship. People who are neither working nor retired have also traditionally had a hard time satisfying the income requirement. Advertisement But préfecture officials were previously told to examine the application 'holistically'. As a result, many retirees applying with solely foreign pensions have been able to gain nationality based on residency if they showed a well-rounded application in other areas. The Local has contacted the Interior Ministry to request further clarification, and to enquire whether - as seems to be the case - there is a difference in how applications from retirees are being treated. Do you have experience - successful or otherwise - of applying for French citizenship as a pensioner? Please share your experiences in the comments section below, or contact us on news@
LeMonde
an hour ago
- LeMonde
Trump says Putin-Witkoff talks 'highly productive' but sanctions still due
President Donald Trump on Wednesday, August 6 hailed talks between his envoy and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Ukraine as "highly productive," but US officials said sanctions would still be imposed on Moscow's trading partners. Trump, who had boasted he could end the conflict within 24 hours of taking office, has given Russia until Friday to make progress towards peace or face new penalties. US envoy Steve Witkoff met with Putin for what the Kremlin said were "constructive" talks two days ahead of the US deadline for Russia. Trump said on his Truth Social platform that "great progress was made" during the meeting – but minutes later a senior US official said that "secondary sanctions" were still expected to be implemented on Friday. Three rounds of Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul have failed to make headway on a ceasefire, with the two sides far apart in their demands. Russia has escalated drone and missile attacks against its pro-Western neighbor to a record high and accelerated its advance on the ground. "A quite useful and constructive conversation took place," Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov told journalists, including AFP, after the three-hour meeting. Putin and Witkoff exchanged "signals" on their positions, Ushakov said, without elaborating. The Kremlin released a video of Putin shaking hands with Witkoff at the start of the meeting. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said later on Wednesday that he had spoken by phone with Trump after Witkoff visited Moscow. "European leaders were on the call, and I am grateful to each of them for their support," he added on social media, without saying which leaders took part in the call. Sanctions threat The White House has not officially outlined what action it would take against Russia, but Trump has previously threatened to impose "secondary tariffs" targeting Russia's key trade partners, such as China and India. On Wednesday, Trump ordered steeper tariffs on Indian goods over New Delhi's continued purchase of Russian oil. The move would aim to stifle Russian exports, but would risk significant international disruption. Trump said on Tuesday that he would await the outcome of the Moscow talks before ordering any economic sanctions. "We're going to see what happens," he told reporters. "We'll make that determination at that time." Without explicitly naming Trump, the Kremlin on Tuesday slammed "threats" to hike tariffs on Russia's trading partners as "illegitimate."
Euronews
2 hours ago
- Euronews
Russia now appears more inclined towards a ceasefire, Zelenskyy says
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his nightly address on Wednesday that Russia appeared to be more inclined to a ceasefire after US special envoy Steve Witkoff's visit to Moscow. "The pressure on them works. But the main thing is that they do not deceive us in the details – neither us nor the US," he said. Those comments come after Zelenskyy held a phone call with his US counterpart Donald Trump in which he reiterated Ukraine's support for a just peace with Russia. "Ukraine will definitely defend its independence. We all need a lasting and reliable peace. Russia must end the war that it itself started," Zelenskyy said in a post on X, adding that European leaders had also joined the call without specifying which ones. Speaking about Witkoff's talks with Putin in Moscow, Trump called the meeting "highly productive" in a post on his Truth Social platform and claimed that "great progress was made" without going into details. "Everyone agrees this war must come to a close, and we will work towards that in the days and weeks to come. Thank you for your attention to this matter!" he posted. But a White House official quoted by the Reuters news agency said that while the meeting went well and the "Russians are eager to continue engaging," the secondary sanctions Trump had threatened to impose on Russia were still expected to be implemented on Friday. Witkoff in Moscow Earlier on Wednesday, Putin held talks with Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow, days before the White House's revised deadline for Russia to reach a peace deal with Ukraine or potentially face severe economic penalties. Trump's deadline for Putin to make peace in Ukraine ends on Friday, revised down from the initial 50 days he set. Washington has threatened "severe tariffs" and other economic penalties if the fighting doesn't stop. However, Trump himself has doubted the effectiveness of sanctions, saying Sunday that Russia has proven to be "pretty good at avoiding sanctions." The Kremlin has insisted that international sanctions imposed since the full-scale invasion have had a limited impact. But Ukraine maintains sanctions are taking their toll on Moscow's war machine and wants Western allies to ramp them up. Trump has also expressed increasing frustration with Putin over Russia's escalating strikes on civilian areas of Ukraine. The meeting between Putin and Witkoff lasted about three hours. Putin's foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov said that Putin and Witkoff had a "useful and constructive conversation" that focused on the Ukrainian war and "prospects for possible development of strategic cooperation between the US and Russia." Before those talks, Witkoff took a walk through Zaryadye Park, close to the Kremlin, with Kirill Dmitriev, the Russian president's envoy for investment and economic cooperation. Dmitriev said later on the social media platform X that 'dialogue will prevail.' Dmitriev played a key role in three rounds of direct talks between delegations from Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul in recent months, as well as discussions between Russian and US officials. Those negotiations made no progress on ending the three-year war following Russia's but did facilitate POW exchanges between the two sides.
