The UK will recognise a Palestinian state in September unless Israel takes immediate steps to end the crisis in Gaza, the British government has said.
In a statement on Tuesday that came amid mounting international outcry over the humanitarian crisis in the enclave, Downing Street said it was “determined to protect the viability of the two-state solution”.
As a result, it said, the UK would “recognise the state of Palestine in September before [the United Nations General Assembly] unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza and commits to a long term sustainable peace”.
Among those steps, the UK government said Israel had to allow the UN “to restart without delay the supply of humanitarian support to the people of Gaza to end starvation”.
READ MORE
UK prime minister Keir Starmer said: “I have always said that we will recognise a Palestinian state at the moment of maximum impact for the two-state solution ... With that solution now under threat this is the moment to act”.
Mr Starmer added that Hamas must play “no part in the governance of Gaza” and called on them to disarm and release the remaining Israeli hostages.
He said that at least 500 food trucks needed to enter Gaza every day. The Downing Street statement demanded Israel also agree to a ceasefire and make clear there will be no annexations in the West Bank.
Israel’s foreign ministry said the UK’s announcement “constitutes a reward for Hamas and harms efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and a framework for the release of hostages”.
[ Israeli human rights groups accuse Israel of committing genocide in GazaOpens in new window ]
The escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza has intensified pressure on Israel in recent days. On Tuesday, the UN-backed global food security body said famine was spreading across Gaza, with one in three children in Gaza City acutely malnourished.
Mr Starmer’s announcement came a day after US president Donald Trump said he would not “mind” the British prime minister taking a position on recognising a Palestinian state, adding: “I’m looking for getting people fed right now”.
The US president has indicated growing frustration in recent days with Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who said on Sunday that there was “no starvation” in Gaza.
Mr Starmer convened his cabinet earlier on Tuesday to discuss the humanitarian situation in Gaza, which he has called “revolting”. The meeting, which was largely attended remotely, lasted about 90 minutes according to Mr Starmer’s allies, and the entire cabinet backed the move.
Downing Street said Mr Starmer had been working on a “UK plan” with allies in France and Germany, and that he shared details of his thinking with Mr Trump during talks in Scotland on Monday.
Mr Starmer has been urged by members of his own government to accelerate the UK’s recognition of a Palestinian state, particularly after French president Emmanuel Macron said last week he would recognise Palestinian statehood at the UN general assembly in September.
UK Conservative opposition leader Kemi Badenoch said Mr Starmer was acting to resolve an “internal party problem”.
The Israeli foreign ministry’s response on Tuesday noted Mr Starmer’s announcement followed “the French move and internal political pressures”.
A senior Labour MP likened Mr Starmer’s warning to Israel to a “chocolate fireguard”, arguing that Mr Netanyahu was unlikely to change course without additional pressure from Mr Trump.
Mr Starmer promised to recognise a Palestinian state in Labour’s general election manifesto last year, but has long argued that such a move would be most effective as part of a broader peace process.
On Tuesday, he said he feared the possibility of a Palestinian state in the future was diminishing.
“[It] is done now because I am particularly concerned that the very idea of a two-state solution is reducing and feels further away today than it has done for many years.”
The UK government insisted that, despite the conditions it set on Tuesday, “no one side would have a veto” on whether Britain took the step of recognising a Palestinian state.
One ally of Mr Starmer said the UK would either recognise a Palestinian state in September or Israel would have done enough to create the conditions for a sustainable peace deal, which would also eventually lead to recognition. – Copyright The Financial Times Ltd 2025
