{"id":105054,"date":"2025-07-30T14:48:13","date_gmt":"2025-07-30T14:48:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/105054\/"},"modified":"2025-07-30T14:48:13","modified_gmt":"2025-07-30T14:48:13","slug":"uk-set-to-recognize-palestinian-statehood-later-this-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/105054\/","title":{"rendered":"UK set to recognize Palestinian statehood later this year"},"content":{"rendered":"

LONDON (AP) \u2014 Britain has announced that it will recognize a Palestinian state<\/a> in September unless Israel agrees to a ceasefire in Gaza<\/a>, stops building settlements in the West Bank and commits to a two-state solution.<\/p>\n

The U.K. followed France, which declared last week that it will recognize Palestinian statehood<\/a> at the United Nations General Assembly in September.<\/p>\n

More than 140 countries have already taken that step, but France and Britain are significant as members of the Group of Seven and the U.N. Security Council. The two countries hope their bold \u2013 if largely symbolic \u2013 diplomatic moves will help add pressure on Israel to ease a catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Gaza and breathe life into a moribund peace process.<\/p>\n

What Starmer said<\/p>\n

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Tuesday that Britain will recognize a Palestinian state in September, \u201cunless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end the appalling situation<\/a> in Gaza, agree to a ceasefire and commit to a long-term, sustainable peace, reviving the prospect of a two-state solution.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said that included \u201callowing the U.N. to restart the supply of aid, and making clear there will be no annexations in the West Bank<\/a>.\u2033<\/p>\n

Starmer also said Hamas must release all the hostages it holds, agree to a ceasefire, disarm and \u201caccept that they will play no part in the government of Gaza\u201d \u2014 though he did not make that a condition for recognition. Britain says that\u2019s because Hamas has no role in a two-state solution.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"People<\/p>\n

People take part in a protest outside Downing Street in London, Tuesday July 29, 2025, as Prime Minister Keir Starmer gathered senior ministers for an urgent Cabinet meeting on Gaza. (Jonathan Brady\/PA via AP)<\/p>\n

People take part in a protest outside Downing Street in London, Tuesday July 29, 2025, as Prime Minister Keir Starmer gathered senior ministers for an urgent Cabinet meeting on Gaza. (Jonathan Brady\/PA via AP)<\/p>\n

Read More<\/p>\n

Britain felt it was now or never<\/p>\n

Britain has for decades supported an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel, but insisted recognition must come as part of a peace plan to achieve a two-state solution.<\/p>\n

U.K. officials increasingly worry that such a solution is becoming all but impossible \u2013 not only because of the razing of Gaza and displacement of most of its population during 22 months of war, but because Israel\u2019s government is aggressively expanding settlements in the West Bank<\/a>, land Palestinians want for their future state. Much of the world regards Israel\u2019s occupation of the West Bank as illegal.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe moment to act is now,\u201d Cabinet minister Heidi Alexander told Times Radio. \u201cThere\u2019s the effective annexation of the West Bank happening.\u201d<\/p>\n

Starmer is also under mounting domestic pressure to do something as horror spreads at the scenes of hunger in Gaza<\/a>. <\/p>\n

More than 250 of the 650 lawmakers in the House of Commons signed a letter in recent days urging the British government to recognize a Palestinian state. Opinion polls suggest far more Britons support recognition than oppose it, though a large number are undecided.<\/p>\n

Reaction is polarized<\/p>\n

Israel quickly condemned the British move. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who rejects the two-state solution on both nationalistic and security grounds, said Starmer\u2019s announcement \u201crewards Hamas\u2019s monstrous terrorism and punishes its victims.\u201d<\/p>\n

The families of Israelis taken hostage by Hamas were also critical. <\/p>\n

\u201cRecognizing a Palestinian state while 50 hostages remain trapped in Hamas tunnels amounts to rewarding terrorism,\u201d said the Hostages Family Forum, which represents many hostages\u2019 relatives. Emily Damari, a British-Israeli national who was held captive for more than a year, called Starmer\u2019s stance \u201ca moral failure.\u201d<\/p>\n

The British statement was welcomed by the Palestinian Authority, which Britain views as a legitimate representative of Palestinians. It has limited autonomy in pockets of the occupied West Bank.<\/p>\n

Husam Zomlot, the Palestinian Authority\u2019s envoy in London, said Britain\u2019s statement \u201cis a corrective to over a century of dispossession, during which the Palestinian people have been deprived of our land, liberty and lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"People<\/p>\n

People take part in a protest outside Downing Street in London, Tuesday July 29, 2025, as Prime Minister Keir Starmer gathered senior ministers for an urgent Cabinet meeting on Gaza. (Jonathan Brady\/PA via AP)<\/p>\n

People take part in a protest outside Downing Street in London, Tuesday July 29, 2025, as Prime Minister Keir Starmer gathered senior ministers for an urgent Cabinet meeting on Gaza. (Jonathan Brady\/PA via AP)<\/p>\n

Read More<\/p>\n

Limited influence, historical weight<\/p>\n

In practice, Britain\u2019s influence on Israel is limited. The U.K. government has suspended free trade talks and halted some arms shipments to Israel over its conduct of the war, but is not a major economic or military partner.<\/p>\n

History has, however, given Britain a particular interest and role in the Middle East.<\/p>\n

Foreign Secretary David Lammy said Britain bears a \u201cspecial burden of responsibility\u201d as the former governing power of what was then Palestine and author of the 1917 Balfour Declaration<\/a>, which backed the establishment of a Jewish homeland, but also pledged to protect the rights of the Palestinian population.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis has not been upheld, and it is a historical injustice which continues to unfold,\u201d Lammy said at the U.N. on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Most of Britain\u2019s main political parties support a two-state solution. But the right-of-center opposition Conservatives said Starmer\u2019s announcement was premature.<\/p>\n

\u201cRecognition of a Palestinian state is only meaningful if it is part of a formal peace process and cannot happen while hostages are still being held in terrorist captivity and while Hamas\u2019 reign of terror continues,\u201d said Priti Patel, the party\u2019s foreign affairs spokeswoman.<\/p>\n

Ed Davey, leader of the centrist Liberal Democrats, welcomed Starmer\u2019s statement as a step forward but said the prime minister should not use Palestinian statehood as \u201ca bargaining chip.\u201d<\/p>\n

The move may spark diplomatic momentum<\/p>\n

Britain and France hope other countries will follow their move. On Tuesday, European Union member Malta said it, too, would recognize a Palestinian state in September.<\/p>\n

Germany, a major European power and strong ally of Israel, remains a holdout. Chancellor Friedrich Merz reiterated his country\u2019s position that recognition of a Palestinian state \u201ccan be one of the last steps on the road to realizing a two-state solution,\u201d but that Berlin has no plans for recognition \u201cin the short term.\u201d<\/p>\n

Real clout rests with the U.S., and Starmer\u2019s cautious approach may be designed to persuade President Donald Trump<\/a> to take a tougher line with his ally Netanyahu. The prospects are uncertain, to say the least. Asked about Britain\u2019s stance on Tuesday, Trump said: \u201cWe have no view on that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yossi Mekelberg, a Middle East expert at international affairs think tank Chatham House, said there is \u201cno doubt\u201d that a global majority supports Palestinian statehood, but that\u2019s not enough to make it a reality.<\/p>\n

\u201cBritish recognition or French recognition doesn\u2019t make it internationally recognized,\u201d he said. \u201cYou need the (U.N.) Security Council \u2014 and that is not going to happen because of a certain person in the White House.\u201d<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Associated Press writer Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this story.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"LONDON (AP) \u2014 Britain has announced that it will recognize a Palestinian state in September unless Israel agrees…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":105055,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[97,372,12226,69,67644,67645,156,25821,4526,57,67646,15127,3497,67647,3464,99,3462,373,17723,3463,50,9598,80,67643,376,96,17262,103,107],"class_list":{"0":"post-105054","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"tag-2024-2025-mideast-wars","9":"tag-benjamin-netanyahu","10":"tag-david-lammy","11":"tag-donald-trump","12":"tag-ed-davey","13":"tag-emily-damari","14":"tag-france","15":"tag-friedrich-merz","16":"tag-gaza-strip","17":"tag-general-news","18":"tag-heidi-alexander","19":"tag-hostage-situations","20":"tag-humanitarian-crises","21":"tag-husam-zomlot","22":"tag-international-agreements","23":"tag-israel","24":"tag-israel-government","25":"tag-israel-hamas-war","26":"tag-keir-starmer","27":"tag-mideast-wars","28":"tag-news","29":"tag-palestinian-territories-government","30":"tag-politics","31":"tag-priti-patel","32":"tag-united-kingdom","33":"tag-war-and-unrest","34":"tag-west-bank","35":"tag-world","36":"tag-world-news"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114942738876533628","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105054","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=105054"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105054\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/105055"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=105054"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=105054"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=105054"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}