UK to back Palestinian statehood at UN If Israel fails to de-escalate Gaza

On July 29, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Britain will recognise a Palestinian state at the UN in September unless Israel takes meaningful steps to end the Gaza crisis and pursue a two-state solution.

Starmer told a special Cabinet meeting that “now was the right time to move this position forward” due to the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza and the diminishing prospects for peace, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

He described the failure to deliver aid as “catastrophic” and said, “We see starving babies, children too weak to stand, images that will stay with us for a lifetime.”

Starmer reiterated that Hamas must release all remaining hostages, disarm, and accept they will play no role in governing Gaza. He stressed, “With the peace process under threat, I have determined that now is the moment to act.”

Foreign Secretary David Lammy, speaking at a UN conference in New York, said the UK bears a “special burden of responsibility to support a two-state solution” because of its historic role in the region. He added that the UK intends to recognise Palestine at the UN General Assembly — a move met with applause.

The announcement marks a significant shift in the UK’s approach, prompted by weeks of distressing images from Gaza. One Labour MP said the change was the most dramatic in a generation, though there are questions over whether the UK’s position will satisfy international allies pushing for action or antagonise U.S. President Donald Trump, who expressed skepticism about recognition.

French Foreign Minister Jean Noel Barrot, speaking at the same UN conference, voiced concern that “roadmaps to recognition” with preconditions such as Hamas disarmament “means placing yourself in the hands of Hamas.”

Nonetheless, Barrot tweeted support for Starmer’s decision: “Together, through this pivotal decision and our combined efforts, we break the endless cycle of violence and reopen the prospect of peace in the region.”

The Israeli government swiftly condemned the UK’s move, calling it “a reward for Hamas” and harmful to ceasefire efforts. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu labelled it “appeasement,” adding on social media, “[Keir] Starmer rewards Hamas’s monstrous terrorism & punishes its victims.”

Reactions in the UK were mixed. Emily Thornberry, chair of the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, welcomed the decision: “I like to think [Starmer,] or at least someone in his team, read it!” Conversely, Conservative MP Aphra Brandreth criticised the move as risking “rewarding Hamas for the horrific attacks of October 7 without any clear plan of what the state of Palestine might look like.”

Labour MP Blair McDougall described recognition as “one of the few real levers we have to pull which can influence this awful situation,” but cautioned that “the day after recognition by us, or any other nations, there will be huge challenges that still need addressing. This is the start of a process, not the end.”