Desk Report:
The UK is set to recognise Palestine as a state today. According to a report by the British newspaper The Guardian, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that Israel has failed to meet the conditions set for it in July last year. In addition, British observers have assessed that the humanitarian situation in Gaza has deteriorated dramatically in the past few weeks. That is why he has made this decision.
Starmer is taking this step despite pressure from the US and objections from relatives of hostages held by Hamas. Earlier in July, he said that if the situation does not improve, he will recognise Palestine before the gathering of world leaders at the UN General Assembly next week.
The Guardian report said that in addition to the ongoing military operation and humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the UK government is also concerned about new Israeli settlement expansion plans in the West Bank. British ministers fear that these Israeli actions could completely destroy the possibility of a two-state solution.
Meanwhile, the Labour Party has stressed that recognizing Palestine as a state is in no way a reward for Hamas. They have also emphasized that Hamas should not have any role in the future governance of Gaza. It is believed that the UK will impose stricter sanctions on Hamas very soon. They have also strongly demanded the release of the hostages.
The UK will be represented at the UN General Assembly by Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy. He said, “It is important to make it clear that recognizing Palestine as a state is a response to the horrific expansion we are seeing in the West Bank, the violence and new settlements that the occupiers are building, especially the results of plans like the E-1 project. If such a project were to come to fruition, the possibility of a two-state solution would be completely destroyed.”
Meanwhile, the Israeli army has also increased the level of attacks in Gaza several times. Yesterday, on Saturday, the IDF killed 91 Palestinians across the valley.
The high-level meeting of world leaders at the UN summit will begin on September 23. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s move has drawn a sharp contrast with the Donald Trump administration, which opposes official recognition of Palestine. Starmer had previously said that the UK’s recognition would be conditional – if Israel ensures a long-term peace, accepts a two-state solution and allows the UN to provide aid again, he would not take the step.
However, these three conditions are unlikely to be met, as the Israeli government is unwilling to accept them. Currently, 147 of the 193 UN member states have recognized Palestine as a state.
Meanwhile, the families of some of the 48 people still held hostage by Hamas have written an open letter to Starmer. The letter says, “The UK’s announcement of recognition of Palestine as a state has complicated the efforts to return our loved ones. Hamas has already celebrated this decision as a victory and broken previous security agreements. We have one request for you: do not take this step until our loved ones are returned to us.’
The opposition has also criticised Starmer. Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel alleged that Starmer had ‘surrendered’ to pressure from the party’s backbenchers. Lammy said: “The situation in Gaza is extremely critical. We must first secure the release of the hostages. There is no place for Hamas, absolutely no place. People are starving, suffering. We are asking Israel to open more centres and deliver aid. We are also deeply concerned about the ongoing attacks on Gaza City.”
