The United Kingdom has formally recognised the state of Palestine in what Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer described as a decisive step to preserve the prospect of peace and a two-state solution.
In a video message posted on X, Starmer said: “In the face of the growing horror in the Middle East we are acting to keep alive the possibility of peace and a two-state solution.” He insisted that the recognition “is not a reward for Hamas” and that Hamas would have “no future, no role in government, no role in security.”
Starmer emphasised that the move was “a pledge to the Palestinian and Israeli people that there can be a better future,” while condemning the “starvation and devastation [in Gaza]” as “utterly intolerable” and noting that the “death and destruction horrifies all of us.”
The UK joins Australia, Canada and Portugal in recognising a Palestinian state, with France expected to follow suit. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney framed his country’s decision as offering “partnership in building the promise of a peaceful future,” while Australia’s Anthony Albanese called it “part of a co-ordinated effort to build new momentum for a two-state solution.” Portugal’s Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel added that the two-state solution remained “the only path to a just and lasting peace.”
The recognition has sparked sharp condemnation from Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that a Palestinian state “will not happen” and accused the UK and others of “giving a huge reward to terrorism.” Both Israeli and US officials argued that the decision amounted to a diplomatic victory for Hamas following its 7 October 2023 attack, which killed 1,200 people and saw 251 others taken hostage.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the move, saying it would help pave the way for the “state of Palestine to live side by side with the state of Israel in security, peace and good neighbourliness.”
According to the Foreign Office, the UK now recognises Palestinian statehood over provisional borders based on 1967 lines with land swaps to be finalised in future negotiations. The two-state solution envisions an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital, broadly along pre-1967 war lines.
Currently, a state of Palestine is recognised by about 75% of UN member states, though it lacks internationally defined borders, a capital, or an army, making recognition largely symbolic.
Starmer had earlier set a deadline of the UN General Assembly meeting, due next week, for recognition unless Israel took “substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza, agree to a ceasefire and commit to a long-term, sustainable peace.”
However, peace efforts remain stalled, with ceasefire negotiations collapsing and outrage mounting after an Israeli air strike on a Hamas negotiating team in Qatar.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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