The United Kingdom has formally recognised Palestine as an independent state, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced, in a symbolic move aimed at reviving prospects for a two-state solution amid the ongoing Gaza crisis. The declaration, made ahead of the UN General Assembly in New York, positions the UK alongside Canada and Australia, which also issued similar recognitions on Sunday.
Starmer emphasised that the decision is not a reward for Hamas, stating that the group will face further UK sanctions and will have no role in a future Palestinian government. He reiterated the need for the release of all remaining Israeli hostages and condemned the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, calling the Israeli military campaign “utterly intolerable.”
The recognition is based provisionally on 1967 borders, before Israel’s occupation of the Gaza Strip and West Bank, and paves the way for full diplomatic relations. Palestinian envoy Husam Zomlot hailed the move as “an irreversible step towards justice, peace and the correction of historic wrongs.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced the recognition as “absurd” and “a reward for terrorism,” while the United States, now opposed to a two-state solution, rejected it. More than 150 countries are expected to recognise Palestine by the end of next week, though some may attach conditions.
