UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Sunday said Britain was formally recognising a State of Palestine, in a historic shift in decades of British foreign policy.
“Today, to revive the hope of peace for the Palestinians and Israelis, and a two-state solution, the United Kingdom formally recognises the State of Palestine,” Starmer said in a message on X.
“That means a safe and secure Israel alongside a viable Palestinian State — at the moment, we have neither,” he said in a video message.
He said Britain was acting “in the face of the growing horror in the Middle East”.
He renewed calls for a ceasefire and again demanded that Hamas Palestinian militants release hostages seized in their October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
He branded Hamas a “brutal terror organisation”, confirming plans to step up sanctions on the group.
“Our call for a genuine two-state solution is the exact opposite of their hateful vision,” he said in his message, posted just after Commonwealth members Canada and Australia also recognised Palestinian statehood.
The move has already drawn anger from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said recognition “would endanger our existence” and be an “absurd reward” to Hamas.
But Starmer stressed the recognition of a State of Palestine was “not a reward” for the militants, and insisted the banned terror group could have no role in running a Palestinian state.
Starmer warned that with the humanitarian crisis in Gaza escalating and Israel pushing ahead with settlements in the West Bank, “the hope of a two-state solution is fading”, adding: “We cannot let that light go out.”
“The starvation and devastation are utterly intolerable,” the UK leader said. “This death and destruction horrifies us all. It must end.”
(aw)
