UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer says Britain will recognize state of Palestine before UN unless..., discusses issue with Donald Trump

The UK will recognize a Palestinian state in September unless Israel agrees to a ceasefire in Gaza, allows the UN to bring in aid, and takes other steps toward long-term peace, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Tuesday. Starmer, who is under mounting domestic pressure over the issue as scenes of hunger in Gaza horrify many Britons, convened a rare summertime Cabinet meeting to discuss the situation in Gaza. It came after he discussed the crisis with US President Donald Trump during a meeting in Scotland on Monday. The US president told reporters he didn’t mind Starmer “taking a position” on statehood.

Starmer said Tuesday that Britain will recognize a state of Palestine before the United Nations General Assembly, “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,” he said. It seems highly unlikely that the government of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu could meet the conditions, which cut to the heart of the most intractable issues in the conflict. Netanyahu rejects the two-state solution on both nationalistic and security grounds.

Israel’s foreign ministry said it rejected the British statement.

“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,” the ministry said on X. Starmer also repeated UK demands that Hamas release all the hostages it holds, agree to a ceasefire, disarm and “accept that they will play no part in the government of Gaza.”

Starmer said in a televised statement that his government will assess in September “how far the parties have met these steps” before making a final decision on recognition. Britain has long supported the idea of an independent Palestinian state existing alongside Israel, but has said recognition should come as part of a negotiated two-state solution to the conflict.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DNA staff and is published from AP)