UK to announce recognition of Palestinian state on Sunday
The decision follows a pledge Starmer made in July to act in September unless Israel agreed to a ceasefire in Gaza and committed to a sustainable peace process leading to a two-state solution
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to announce on Sunday that the UK will formally recognise a Palestinian state, marking a shift in decades of foreign policy.
The decision follows a pledge Starmer made in July to act in September unless Israel agreed to a ceasefire in Gaza and committed to a sustainable peace process leading to a two-state solution, says the BBC.
Successive British governments have said recognition should come as part of peace talks and at a time of maximum impact. Ministers now argue the worsening situation in Gaza and settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank require immediate action.
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"The recognition of a Palestinian state is as a consequence of the serious expansion that we're seeing in the West Bank, the settler violence … and the intention to build, for example, the E1 development," Justice Secretary David Lammy said.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the pledge during a visit to London earlier this month. Both sides agreed Hamas would have no role in future Palestinian governance, Downing Street said.
Israel has strongly opposed the move. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said it "rewards terror," while families of hostages taken by Hamas urged Starmer in an open letter not to act until the remaining captives are freed, reports teh BBC.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch also criticised the timing. Writing in the Telegraph, she said recognition "without the release of the hostages, would be a reward for terrorism."
Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis called for the government to pause, saying recognition was not contingent on democratic governance or the release of hostages.
Government officials insist demands for Hamas to release hostages remain unchanged, but say statehood is a right of the Palestinian people and cannot be dependent on the group, which Britain designates as a terrorist organisation.
Starmer told reporters in July: "I've always said we will recognise a Palestinian state as a contribution to a proper peace process, at the moment of maximum impact for the two-state solution. With that solution now under threat, this is the moment to act."
The UK move comes after Spain, Ireland and Norway formally recognised Palestine last year. About 140 of the United Nations' 193 members already do so.
