Britain will defy a warning from the Trump administration by attending a UN conference next week at which the recognition of Palestinian statehood will be discussed.
The US has issued a strongly worded diplomatic cable, known as a “démarche”, to allies stating that the gathering in New York co-hosted by France and Saudi Arabia is “counterproductive” to attempts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza.
President Trump and the Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu in April
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President Macron has suggested his country could recognise a Palestinian state in Israeli-occupied territories at the conference, which would mark a diplomatic blow for Israel as it continues its fight against the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.
The UK is expected to be represented by David Lammy, the foreign secretary, or a more junior minister. However the government will stop short of formally recognising Palestine as a state due to concerns it will not be “meaningful” while the conflict continues.
David Lammy is expected to attend the conference in New York
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Ministers are instead weighing up whether to give “conditional recognition” to Palestine, which would be predicated on a ceasefire and the return of hostages to Israel.
Relations with the US and Israel have deteriorated after Britain joined Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Norway in imposing sanctions on two far-right Israeli ministers.
The démarche from the US State Department says it “strongly discourages” attendance at the conference, and that the meeting could disrupt US efforts to end the Gaza conflict and release the remaining hostages.
“Countries that take anti-Israel actions on the heels of the conference will be viewed as acting in opposition to US foreign policy interests and could face diplomatic consequences,” the cable says.
While no sanctions are threatened for attending the event, the cable nevertheless raises the stakes as the Trump administration risks disrupting some of its closest international alliances to preserve its strong support for Israel.
“We are urging governments not to participate in the conference, which we view as counterproductive to ongoing, life-saving efforts to end the war in Gaza and free hostages,” adds the cable, which was first reported by Reuters. “The United States opposes any steps that would unilaterally recognise a conjectural Palestinian state, which adds significant legal and political obstacles to the eventual resolution of the conflict and could coerce Israel during a war, thereby supporting its enemies.”
The warning is aimed at any further countries considering following Saudi Arabia in recognising a Palestinian state.
“Unilaterally recognising a Palestinian state would effectively render October 7 Palestinian independence day,” the cable stated, referring to the day in 2023 when Hamas carried out a cross-border attack on Israel from Gaza, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages. “The United States opposes the implied support of the conference for potential actions including boycotts and sanctions on Israel as well as other punitive measures.”
Mike Huckabee, seen with head of the Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem in Tel Aviv last month
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Mike Huckabee, a longtime supporter of Israel who was appointed ambassador by Trump this year, has shifted the US away from a two-state solution. Asked by Bloomberg News on Tuesday if a Palestinian state remained a goal of US foreign policy, Huckabee said: “I don’t think so.”
Marco Rubio, secretary of state, said earlier this week that asset freezes and travel bans imposed by the UK on Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich “do not advance US-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home and end the war”.