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London: Britain has heightened pressure on Israel to commit to a ceasefire in Gaza and help feed starving civilians, declaring it will recognise a Palestinian state in September unless Israel takes urgent steps towards peace.
In a major shift in foreign policy, British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said “this is the moment to act” on statehood for Palestinians if Israel prolonged the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer declared the major policy shift after France announced it would recognise Palestine.Credit: Getty Images
The move follows a declaration from French President Emmanuel Macron last week that France would recognise a Palestinian state at the United Nations – but the UK has placed a caveat on its plan in a bid to give Israel an incentive to act.
Starmer has previously pledged to recognise Palestine as part of a two-state solution alongside Israel, but he shifted policy after a special cabinet meeting on Monday to say the UK was prepared to act even if Israel did not agree.
“I’ve always said we will recognise a Palestinian state as a contribution to a proper peace process, at the moment of maximum impact for the two-state solution,” Starmer said.
“With that solution now under threat, this is the moment to act.
Global pressure is mounting on Israel over starvation in Gaza.Credit: Getty
“So today, as part of this process towards peace, I can confirm the UK will recognise the state of Palestine by the United Nations General Assembly in September unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza, agree to a ceasefire and commit to a long-term, sustainable peace, reviving the prospect of a two-state solution.
“And this includes allowing the UN to restart the supply of aid, and making clear there will be no annexations in the West Bank.”
While the formal vote on statehood would do little in itself to ease the war, it would deliver a diplomatic outcome that Israel has fiercely opposed for decades.
Starmer condemned Hamas, a listed terrorist group in the UK as it is in Australia, and said peace in Gaza required the Palestinian militants to disarm.
Starmer has faced public and internal party pressure to recognise Palestinian statehood.Credit: AP
“They must immediately release all the hostages, sign up to a ceasefire, disarm and accept that they will play no part in the government of Gaza,” he said.
The UN said reports indicated on Tuesday that 60,000 Gazans had now been killed since Hamas-led terror attacks in Israel sparked the war in October 2023.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been bluntly contradicted by other world leaders for claiming there was no starvation in Gaza, with US President Donald Trump saying children were starving.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Gaza was on the brink of famine.
Palestinians carry sacks of flour unloaded from a humanitarian aid convoy that reached Gaza City in recent days.Credit: AP
“The facts are in – and they are undeniable,” he said in a statement. “Palestinians in Gaza are enduring a humanitarian catastrophe of epic proportions. This is not a warning. It is a reality unfolding before our eyes.”
The UN estimated that more than 20,000 children had been treated for acute malnutrition and 16 had died.
The World Food Program said more than 500,000 people – about a quarter of the population in Gaza – were enduring famine-like conditions, while others were facing emergency levels of hunger.
Another UN agency, the Food and Agriculture Organisation, said the primary obstacle was the distribution of food inside Gaza when trucks were available to deliver the aid.
US president Donald Trump did not criticise Starmer when asked about the prime minister’s policy shift.Credit: Getty Images
Trump did not back the UK argument but made no criticism of Starmer, saying it was “OK” that the UK was following France.
“It doesn’t mean I have to agree,” he told reporters on Air Force One. He repeated his concern, aired at a press conference with Starmer in Scotland the previous day, that children were starving.
The Israeli foreign ministry warned that the UK stance would help Hamas.
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“The shift in the British government’s position at this time, following the French move and internal political pressures, constitutes a reward for Hamas and harms efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and a framework for the release of hostages,” it said.
Netanyahu blamed Hamas for not releasing the last of the hostages taken in the October 7 attacks, when the terrorist group killed 1195 people and took more than 250 captive. Israel estimates that Hamas continues to hold at least 20 hostages.
“We have not stopped trying,” Netanyahu said of the negotiations over Gaza, speaking online without referring to the UK move.
“But there is one big obstacle and everyone knows what it is – Hamas. It is persisting in its refusal.
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“We are not relenting. We will continue to do everything we can, one way or the other. We are committed to bringing them back.”
Starmer drew instant criticism from UK Opposition Leader Kemi Badenoch over his new policy, highlighting the partisan divide on the Middle East in British politics as in other western democracies.
“This is political posturing at its very worst,” she said.
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