The United Kingdom will formally recognize a Palestinian state unless Israel implements a ceasefire and addresses the “intolerable” situation on the ground in Gaza, British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has announced.
Starmer said the U.K. will make the declaration at the United Nations General Assembly in September, unless Israel takes “substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza, agree to a ceasefire, and commit to a sustainable, long-term peace that revives the prospect of a two-state solution.”
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The move follows a similar announcement from French President Emmanuel Macron that France will recognize Palestine in September, and comes amid growing international outrage over Israel’s actions in Gaza—fueled by images of emaciated children and a rising hunger-related death toll.
Starmer said that Israel must also allow the United Nations to resume aid deliveries into Gaza and provide assurances that no annexations will take place in the West Bank.
“Our message to the terrorists of Hamas is unchanged and unequivocal. They must immediately release all of the hostages, sign up to a cease-fire, disarm, and accept that they will play no part in the government of Gaza,” Starmer told reporters.
“But also we need alongside that to ensure that we get aid in at volume and in speed into Gaza because the situation is simply intolerable,” he said.
Starmer expressed concern that the goal of a two-state solution is slipping further out of reach. “The very idea of a two state solution is reducing and feels further away today than it has felt for many, many years,” he said.
A U.N.-backed international food security body warned earlier on Tuesday that Gaza is experiencing a “worst-case famine scenario” saying that intensifying conflict and displacement are leading to “widespread starvation, malnutrition, and disease.”
Last week, the Israeli government also passed a non-binding motion for the annexation of the West Bank before the Knesset began a three-month recess.
Starmer follows Macron in move toward recognition
On July 25, Macron announced that he would be officially recognising the State of Palestine at the U.N. General Assembly in September – a move that was met with criticism from Israel and the United States.
“It is essential to build the State of Palestine, ensure its viability, and enable it, by accepting its demilitarization and fully recognizing Israel, to contribute to the security of all in the Middle East. There is no alternative,” Macron said last week.
Last year Spain, Norway and Ireland also recognized Palestine. “Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu does not have a project of peace for Palestine, even if the fight against the terrorist group Hamas is legitimate,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said in May 2024.
Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Simon Harris, who announced the decision in a press conference, likened Palestinians’ bid for self-determination to the Irish people’s history seeking international recognition of their independence in 1919.
“Today, we use the same language to support the recognition of Palestine as a state,” said Harris.
Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz responded to the decisions, calling them “distorted” and that they send “a message to the Palestinians and the world: Terrorism pays.”
Domestic pressure spurs Starmer
His statement comes amid growing domestic pressure over the U.K.’s stance on the conflict. More than 230 MPs, including a third of his cabinet, have urged him to act.
The U.K. has increased its pressure on Israel in recent weeks regarding its conduct in both Gaza and the West Bank.
Starmer signed a joint statement alongside Canada and France on May 19 in which the three countries condemned Israel’s plans to expand military operations in Gaza.
In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Starmer, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, and French President Emmanuel Macron were “Emboldening Hamas,” with their stance.
In June, the U.K, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Norway imposed sanctions against far-right Israeli ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich for “Inciting extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights.”
Most recently, more than 30 countries including the U.K. signed a joint statement calling for an immediate end to the war in Gaza, saying: “The suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths. The Israeli government’s aid delivery model is dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity.”
The statement also reiterated calls for Hamas to release the remaining hostages still held in captivity within Gaza.