Sir Keir Starmer has taken the historic step of recognising the state of Palestine, marking a major milestone in the push towards peace in the Middle East as Israel continues its offensive in Gaza.
The move comes after the UK shifted its position in July and laid down the gauntlet to Israel, saying recognition would happen if it did not meet a list of demands, including a ceasefire.
While it is largely symbolic, the move will spark fury in Israel and represents a key divergence between UK and US foreign policy, with Washington resisting pressure to follow suit.
“In the face of the growing horror in the Middle East, we are acting to keep alive the possibility of peace and a two-state solution, that means a safe and secure Israel alongside a viable Palestinian state,” Sir Keir said on Sunday.
He added: “To revive the hope of peace and a two-state solution, I state clearly as prime minister of this great country, that the United Kingdom, formally recognises the state of Palestine.”
Israel has condemned recognition as “rewarding Hamas”, while US President Donald Trump said it was one of the few points of contention between him and Sir Keir Starmer during last week’s state visit.
In a bid to head off opposition from the US, Sir Keir confirmed he will also hit Hamas, which he described as a “brutal terror organisation”, with fresh sanctions. He also restated his demands for the group to release all the hostages seized during Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack, which also saw 1,200 killed, agree to an immediate ceasefire and accept it will have no role in the government of Gaza.
He said: “We are clear, this solution is not a reward for Hamas, because it means Hamas can have no future, no role in government, no role in security.”
“We have already prescribed and sanctioned Hamas, and we will go further. I have directed work to sanction other Hamas figures in the coming weeks.”
And he condemned Israel’s ongoing bombardment of Gaza, calling for an immediate end to the offensive.
Sir Keir said: “The Israeli government’s relentless and increasing bombardment of Gaza. The offensive of recent weeks. The starvation and devastation are utterly intolerable.
“Tens of thousands have been killed, including thousands as they collect food and water. The death and destruction horrifies all of us. It must end.”
Speaking ahead of Sir Keir’s announcement, David Lammy acknowledged that recognising a Palestinian state would do little to change the situation for those on the ground in Gaza.
Speaking to the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, he said: “Will this feed children? No, it won’t, that’s down to humanitarian aid.
“Will this free hostages? That must be down to a ceasefire.”
Mr Lammy also conceded that a Palestinian state would not emerge “overnight” after Britain’s recognition of one. Foreign secretary Yvette Cooper will now formally establish diplomatic relations with Palestine, Sir Keir said in a letter to its president Mahmoud Abbas.
In an early indication of the changes as a result of recognition, some Foreign Office web pages changed references from “Occupied Palestinian Territories” to “Palestine”.
The changes applied to pages including travel advice for Israel and the list of Foreign Office overseas posts.
As Israel continues its bombardment of Gaza City, at least 31 people were killed after it blew up residential buildings on Sunday, according to health officials, Canada and Australia joined Britain in recognising Palestinian statehood. The changes were part of a coordinated effort to build global momentum towards a two-state solution.
A spokesman for Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said: “His message to nations that are taking the avenue to disregard the sheer utter chaos Hamas has thrusted Gaza into and Israel, including our soldiers, families and, of course, hostages still held in Hamas captivity, is that the people of Israel aren’t going to commit suicide because of the political needs of European politics.”
And the Israeli foreign ministry condemned the move, saying: “Recognition is nothing but a reward for jihadist Hamas.”
In a post on X, it said: “Hamas leaders themselves openly admit: this recognition is a direct outcome, the ‘fruit’ for the October 7 massacre.
“Don’t let Jihadist ideology dictate your policy.”
Kemi Badenoch said recognising a Palestinian state was an “absolutely disastrous” move by Sir Keir. The Tory leader added: “We will all rue the day this decision was made. Rewarding terrorism with no conditions whatsoever put in place for Hamas.”
Labour pledged to recognise a Palestinian state in its manifesto before the last general election, and earlier this year, Sir Keir bowed to growing pressure from his own MPs, including some high-profile members of his cabinet, to lay out a plan to make the historic move.
The PM hopes recognising the state of Palestine will buy him breathing room with his increasingly restless backbench MPs, who have long criticised his stance on the conflict in Gaza.
But pro-Gaza MPs in the party will seek to pile pressure on the prime minister to take further action, including to sanction Israel over its ongoing offensive. And Amnesty International UK warned recognising Palestine could be a “hollow gesture if the UK does not also seek to end Israel’s genocide, illegal occupation, and system of apartheid against the Palestinian people”.
The prime minister has clashed with Mr Trump over the decision. Asked during his state visit about Sir Keir’s move, Mr Trump said: “I have a disagreement with the prime minister on that score, one of our few disagreements actually.”
Sir Keir was also warned by the families of hostages still held by Hamas that recognising Palestine had “dramatically complicated efforts to bring home our loved ones”.
“You have a valuable role to play in bringing the hostages home, including three remaining British-linked hostages, but your current path is the wrong one,” a group of the loved ones of hostages, including the British mother of Avinatan Or, a current hostage in Gaza, said in a letter.
Meanwhile, the top Palestinian diplomat in the UK said recognition would correct a colonial-era wrong dating back to the Balfour Declaration supporting the creation of a Jewish state in 1917.
The Palestinian head of mission Husam Zomlot told the BBC: “The issue today is ending the denial of our existence that started 108 years ago, in 1917.
“Today, the British people should celebrate a day when history is being corrected, when wrongs are being righted, when recognition of the wrongs of the past are beginning to be corrected.”
More than 150 countries recognise a Palestinian state, including a dozen in Europe.
