Starmer Warns UK Could Join France In Recognizing Palestinian State

Despite the Trump administration remaining firmly in Israel’s corner, pressure is growing on the Netanyahu government as military operations in Gaza expand, and as more hunger-related deaths among Palestinians are reported.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has told his cabinet the United Kingdom will recognize a Palestinian state at a UN meeting September, joining France under Macron, unless Israel takes immediate action to end the “appalling situation” in Gaza.

A statement from Starmer’s office said that the UK “will recognize the state of Palestine in September, before UNGA [United Nations General Assembly], unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza, reaches a ceasefire, makes clear there will be no annexation in the West Bank, and commits to a long-term peace process that delivers a Two State Solution.”

Via Reuters

Starmer additionally “reiterated that there is no equivalence between Israel and Hamas and that our demands on Hamas remain, that they must release all the hostages, sign up to a ceasefire, accept that they will play no role in the government of Gaza, and disarm.”

He specifically recalled his cabinet from scheduled summer holidays on Tuesday in order to make the announcement and discusses a new proposed European-backed peace plan, as well as to consider getting humanitarian aid to hungry and sick Gazans.

Monday’s words issued by President Trump, who met with Starmer in Scotland, have also served to increase the pressure on Netanyahu amid the worsening crisis. While Trump is said to have signed off on Tel Aviv essentially pursuing a military solution against Hamas, the US president still highlighted appalling famine-like conditions and seemed to place blame on Israel, contradicting Netanyahu.

This comment constituted the most direct break with Netanyahu’s assessment:

“Based on television, I would say not particularly because those children look very hungry,” Trump said when asked if he agreed with Netanyahu. Later he said, “There is real starvation in Gaza — you can’t fake that.”

Plenty of small European states have already recognized Palestine as a state, but heavyweight European powers like France and the UK doing so takes things to another level, and Israel’s government would see it as a full-blown diplomatic disaster.

BREAKING: Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has announced the UK will recognise Palestine as a state by the United Nations meeting in September, unless Israel agrees to a ceasefire.

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Already, European officials have grown more skeptical of Netanyahu policies, also as The Hague-based ICC has issued a warrant charging war crimes, which in effect prevents Bibi from traveling to much of the European continent.

Starmer in his Tuesday televised remarks did acknowledge that on Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas “perpetrated the worst massacre in Israel’s history” – but still laid down that Israel is responsible for avoiding and mitigating civilian deaths in its military response.