If Israel doesn’t “take decisive steps” to end its occupation of Gaza and commit to a genuine peace process, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Tuesday that his nation would accept the state of Palestine by September.
Starmer indicated the recognition might occur before the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, according to a government statement released after an emergency cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
The decision comes a day after French president Emmanuel Macron declared that his nation would grant the state of Palestine.
What are the announcement’s details and implications?
What was said by Starmer?
Starmer’s announcement has been deemed a significant alteration in British foreign policy.
“I’ve always said that we will support the establishment of a Palestinian state when the two-state solution has the greatest impact,” Starmer said.
This is the time to act because that solution is now in danger.
He continued, “I can confirm that the UK will recognize the state of Palestine by the United Nations General Assembly in September unless the Israeli government takes significant steps to put an end to the abhorrent situation in Gaza.”
The sentiment was shared by Britain’s foreign secretary, David Lammy, who was speaking at a UN conference led by France and Saudi Arabia to support the two-state solution.
Given Britain’s crucial role in Israel’s creation through the 1917 Balfour Declaration, Lammy claimed that London intended to acknowledge Palestinian statehood “with the hand of history on our shoulders.”
Why now, exactly?
Starmer cited the “intolerable” circumstances in Gaza and growing concern over the prospects for a two-state solution in his response to questions about the time of this decision.
He claimed he wanted to make sure aid “gets in” and “plays a role in changing the circumstances on the ground.”
He said, “I’m particularly concerned that the idea of a two-state solution is fading, and it feels even more primitive today than it has for many years.”
Following a cabinet emergency meeting, the announcement highlighted the growing political pressure his Labour Party is facing.
The UK’s prime minister has been under fire from the public for the devastating Israeli occupation of Gaza, which human rights groups have labeled as genocide.
Since starting its offensive on October 7, 2023, Israel has killed more than 60 000 Palestinians. Rights groups criticize Israel’s military attack in Gaza, which it claims was intended as a response to the Hamas-led attacks that claimed at least 1, 139 lives.
Starmer emphasized that the government’s long-term commitment to recognizing Palestine is a pillar of a larger peace initiative that the government has developed over time.
According to our election manifesto, the Palestinian people have an unalienable right to statehood. It is also crucial to Israel’s long-term security, according to a statement from the prime minister’s office.
“We are committed to recognizing a Palestinian state as a contribution to a renewed peace process that leads to a two-state solution, with a safe, secure Israel and a viable, sovereign Palestinian state,” the statement read.
What specific requirements did Starmer make for the recognition of Palestine?
According to Starmer, there are a number of requirements that Israel must fulfill if it wants the UK to reject Palestinian statehood.
- Take decisive action to put an end to Gaza’s harrowing situation
- agree on a ceasefire
- abide by a long-term, sustainable peace that revives the possibility of a two-state solution.
- Allow the UN to restart the humanitarian supply.
- Make it clear that the West Bank will not be anannexated.
The prime minister also reiterated Hamas’ current demands, which are:
- Release all of the prisoners.
- Sign up for a ceasefire
- commit to destroying all weapons
- Accept the fact that they will not be a part of Gaza’s government.
Before making a call in September, the UK government will check whether Israel and Hamas have adhered to the agreement.
What does it mean to recognize Palestine as a state, and which other nations have done the same?
147 of the 193 UN member states, or roughly 75% of the world’s population, have so far recognized the State of Palestine as a sovereign nation.
Last year, Spain, Ireland, and Norway, three additional European nations, Spain, Ireland, and Norway, recognized Palestine as officially.
During the UNGA in September, France will grant a Palestinian state recognition.
The recognition may have a limited, if not immediate, impact, but it could have a significant impact on diplomacy, potentially influencing Israel’s top supporters, the US, to reconsider its position.
These words from diplomats and politicians may not matter that much, but diplomatically speaking, this is significant even if it is not a significant step in the humanitarian sense. The specificity of Starmer’s demands, according to former US diplomat William Lawrence, really struck me, according to Al Jazeera.
“And it will have an impact on Trump if the entire world, all turn to him with that sort of specific outline and common cause.” Even if it doesn’t immediately resolve the issue, all of this matters. Everyone is moving in the right direction right now, Lawrence continued. Pressuring both Israel and the United States is both important.
Does the UK actually intend to recognize Palestine, and if so, when?
Starmer is currently put under a lot of pressure, according to Milena Veselinovic of Al Jazeera.
People have been moved by the images of people starving in the last few days because he is under a lot of pressure, both domestically and from his own members of parliament, according to Veselinovic, who was reporting from London.
A letter urging Starmer and Foreign Secretary David Lammy to recognize a Palestinian state was signed by 221 members of parliament from nine different political parties last week. Since then, that number has increased to 255.
Veselinovic added that the UK has yet to declare its intention to recognize a Palestinian state.
The UK government is hoping to apply pressure on the Israeli government in an effort to improve the conditions on the ground in Gaza, she continued. “This is not] like when the French President Macron said he will do that, he will recognize the Palestine state in September,” she continued.
Will it affect Gaza’s current situation in any way?
The move, according to Lammy, the UK’s foreign secretary, should “hopefully affect the situation on the ground” and result in a ceasefire in Gaza.
He claimed at the UN that the world had witnessed “the most horrific scenes” in Gaza and that it was time to “bate the Palestinian people’s suffering.”
However, there is still a lot of skepticism as people continue to question the sincerity of recent announcements.
Bishara, a senior political analyst for Al Jazeera, reported that Starmer and Macron continue to back Israel’s occupation of Gaza.
Because they are not in a position to talk about peace and justice when they are genocides’ complicits, he said, “we need to see some measures being taken.”
Bishara also criticized the leaders’ failure to provide specifics when they made their plans to grant a Palestinian state.
Is it located in the West Bank’s 10%? Or is it a state with contiguous sovereign territory status on all of the territories occupied in 1967, including East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza? he continued.
What has Israel done to combat it?
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on X: “Starmer rewards Hamas’s abominable terrorism and punishes its victims.”
The UK’s move “harms efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and a framework for the release of hostages,” according to Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, adding that Starmer’s announcement came after “the French move and internal political pressures.”
France became the first G7 member to declare its intention to recognize a Palestinian state, President Macron describing the action as part of the nation’s “historical commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East.”
