The UK will formally recognise the state of Palestine this September unless Israel abides by a ceasefire and commits to a two-state solution, the government has announced. The decision follows an emergency cabinet meeting called amid the mounting humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which ministers described as increasingly intolerable.
Keir Starmer said the recognition would go ahead before the UN General Assembly in New York unless Israel takes substantive steps to end the conflict, including a ceasefire and a commitment not to annex territory in the West Bank. The prime minister said he had always supported recognition “at the moment of maximum impact” for a two-state solution, adding that this was now the time to act.
The announcement came as UN-backed experts warned that a “worst-case scenario of famine” was unfolding in Gaza. The World Food Programme said the hunger crisis was the worst seen this century, likening it to famines in Ethiopia and Biafra. Gaza health ministry figures put the death toll from Israeli attacks at more than 60,000, nearly half of them women and children.
Israel’s foreign ministry rejected the UK statement, saying it amounted to a “reward for Hamas” and harmed efforts to secure a ceasefire and hostage release. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Mr Starmer of rewarding “monstrous terrorism”, warning that a jihadist state on Israel’s border would threaten Britain.
The UK government also repeated its demands of Hamas, including the immediate release of all hostages, disarmament and a commitment not to participate in Gaza’s government. The Liberal Democrats and the Green Party criticised the move as using statehood as a “bargaining chip”, arguing that the UK should recognise Palestine immediately.
