Keir Starmer is set to have an emergency call with his closest allies as he condemned that “unspeakable and indefensible” unfolding crisis in Gaza.
The prime minister appeared to have lost his remaining patience with Benjamin Netanyahu’s Israeli government as he used his strongest language yet to condemn the deliberate starvation of thousands of Palestinians trapped in Gaza.
And as he prepared to hold an emergency call with French president Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Friedrich Merz on Friday, Sir Keir appeared to be on the cusp of being prepared to recognise a Palestinian state.
It comes as starvation in Gaza is reported to have dramatically increased in recent days; most of the 113 hunger-related deaths recorded there have come in recent weeks, and 82 were children, according to Palestinian health officials.
The prime minister is coming under pressure from trade union backers to ban imports from Israeli settler communities and end a trade agreement with Israel which reduces tariffs to the UK.
Sir Keir’s intervention came just hours before French president Emmanuel Macron said that France will recognise Palestinian statehood in September at the United Nations general assembly.
Mr Macron, who announced the decision on X, published a letter sent to Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas confirming France’s intention to press ahead with Palestinian recognition.
“True to its historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, I have decided that France will recognise the State of Palestine,” the French president said.
Meanwhile, Israel has imposed heavy restrictions on the amount of food and aid allowed to enter Gaza, limiting aid to a handful of trucks each day following a total 11-week blockade earlier this year. UN officials say the aid delivered into the Gaza Strip is a drop in the ocean of what is needed.
In a furious statement, Sir Keir said: “The suffering and starvation unfolding in Gaza is unspeakable and indefensible. While the situation has been grave for some time, it has reached new depths and continues to worsen. We are witnessing a humanitarian catastrophe.”
It was the first time that he had not referenced Israel’s right to defend itself in his comments on the Middle East crisis or mentioned the hostages continuing to be held by Hamas.
He announced: “I will hold an emergency call with E3 partners tomorrow, where we will discuss what we can do urgently to stop the killing and get people the food they desperately need while pulling together all the steps necessary to build a lasting peace. We all agree on the pressing need for Israel to change course and allow the aid that is desperately needed to enter Gaza without delay.”
But the prime minister warned: “It is hard to see a hopeful future in such dark times. But I must reiterate my call for all sides to engage in good faith, and at pace, to bring about an immediate ceasefire and for Hamas to unconditionally release all hostages. We strongly support the efforts of the US, Qatar and Egypt to secure this.”
And there was a strong hint that with MPs and trade unions pushing for recognition of a Palestinian state similar to the actions of Spain and Ireland, he is close to agreeing to the move.
He said: “We are clear that statehood is the inalienable right of the Palestinian people. A ceasefire will put us on a path to the recognition of a Palestinian state and a two-state solution which guarantees peace and security for Palestinians and Israelis.”
However, Labour’s biggest financial backers are urging the prime minister to go even further with the trade unions demanding recognition now and the cancellation of a trade agreement with Israel which gives it preferential treatment on tariffs.
In a statement the Trades Union Congress (TUC) claimed that given Israel’s “ongoing violations of international law and the continued targeting of civilians,” it is “plain wrong” that goods from Israel are imported to the UK with reduced tariffs.
It also called for a ban on imported illegal settlement goods; an end to arms sales to Israel in compliance with international law; and sanctions on individuals promoting and committing war crimes.
TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said: “We are deeply concerned by Israel’s continued assault on Gaza and the mounting death toll of innocent civilians – including those killed by Israeli forces while seeking food, water, and shelter at Israeli and US backed aid distribution points.
“This timeline of horrors is happening in plain sight – and the violence shows no sign of abating. Despite growing international condemnation, current measures are clearly not working.”
But the influential Labour Friends of Israel (LFI), which has powerful supporters in the cabinet including chancellor Rachel Reeves, urged the prime minister not to prematurely recognise a Palestinian state.
LFI chair Jon Pearce MP said: “Recognition is a card that can only be played once. It must be done when it will have maximum impact.
“As we saw when Ireland, Spain and Norway recognised a Palestinian state outside of any process, recognition changes nothing on the ground but does risk tearing up the Oslo Accords without a plan for security and sovereignty to replace it, whilst at the same time being seen as a reward for terrorism, inadvertently emboldening Hamas in the ceasefire negotiations.”
