The United Kingdom is threatening to recognize the Palestinian state in September unless Israel meets a series of conditions. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer wants, among other things, an end to the “horrific situation” in Gaza.
Starmer announced the decision in a statement to his cabinet. With the announcement, he significantly increases the pressure on Israel. To prevent recognition of the Palestinian state, Israel must “take substantial steps to end the horrific situation in Gaza,” says Starmer.
The UK also wants a ceasefire, an end to annexations in the West Bank, and a peace process that leads to a two-state solution in the long term. In such a solution, Israel and Palestine would exist side by side as two independent states.
At the end of September, the member states of the United Nations will meet during the General Assembly in New York. There, countries can announce that they recognize the state of Palestine. Last week, France already announced that it intends to do so.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy called the situation in Gaza “heartbreaking” at a UN conference on Tuesday. According to him, the world is shocked by the way Israel feeds the population of Gaza “drop by drop” and by the fact that “children are dying of hunger”.
Lammy also strongly criticized the government of Benjamin Netanyahu, because it explicitly rejects a two-state solution. According to Lammy, that is “morally and strategically wrong.” He said that the UK has “a special historical responsibility” towards the two-state solution; between 1920 and 1948, Palestine was a British mandate territory.