The United Kingdom will formally recognise a Palestinian state by September unless Israel takes substantive steps towards a two-state solution, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Tuesday. The move, intended to build international consensus and create a pathway to peace, has been met with a sharp rebuke from the Israeli government and varied responses from the international community.
The British government has outlined several conditions for Israel to prevent the recognition from proceeding. These include agreeing to a ceasefire in Gaza, allowing the United Nations to resume the full supply of humanitarian aid, committing to a long-term peace process that delivers a two-state solution and guaranteeing that the occupied West Bank will not be annexed.
This significant shift in British foreign policy follows a similar decision by France to recognise Palestine, a move that was “strongly rejected” by the United States but hailed as “historic” by Saudi Arabia. The UK’s announcement is seen as an attempt to use a “diplomatic lever” to set the region on a different course ahead of the UN General Assembly in September. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander stated, “We believe that the moment is now in order to try to use this diplomatic lever to build international consensus.”
SMread: IPC alert shows Palestinians face catastrophic hunger under Israeli siege
International reaction and regional context
The Israeli government has vehemently opposed the UK’s plan. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Starmer of rewarding “monstrous terrorism,” stating, “A jihadist state on Israel’s border TODAY will threaten Britain TOMORROW.” Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed the decision “constitutes a reward for Hamas and harms efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and a framework for the release of hostages.”
The UK’s conditional Palestinian statehood plan comes amid a dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza. A UN-backed report warned that the “worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out in the Gaza Strip”.
The conflict’s history is rooted in the 1947 UN Resolution 181, which called for the partition of Palestine into Arab and Jewish states.
While the UK government frames its new policy as a long-standing commitment to a two-state solution, critics suggest it is unlikely Israel’s current government will meet the conditions. Key figures in Netanyahu’s coalition are openly discussing annexation, making progress toward a two-state solution highly improbable.
Image: Young man with Palestine flag. [Ahmed Abu Hameeda/ Unsplash]
