THE UK will formally recognise the state of Palestine after Donald Trump’s second state visit has concluded.
As reported by The Times, Keir Starmer delayed the announcement until this weekend over concerns it would dominate Thursday’s press conference at Chequers between Trump and the Prime Minister.
The Republican leader has been vocal about his opposition to the recognition of Palestine as a state, claiming it would reward Hamas.
Marco Rubio, US secretary of state, offered his support to Israel earlier this week and said recognition would make peace “harder to negotiate” as it would “embolden” the group.
The move precedes a meeting of the UN general assembly in New York next week, with France, Canada and Australia amongst other nations expected to formally recognise Palestine during the assembly.
It comes after an inquiry by a UN Commission confirmed that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, with Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior figures in the Israeli government named as inciting acts of genocide.
In July, Starmer outlined plans for the UK to recognise Palestine after mounting concerns over the situation in Gaza.
He said: “With that solution now under threat, this is the moment to act. So today – as part of this process towards peace – I can confirm the UK will recognise the state of Palestine by the United Nations general assembly in September 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.”
He was criticised for the “conditional” nature of the requirements for recognition, with the move only going ahead if Israel failed to commit to a ceasefire, two-state solution and confirming it would not annex the occupied West Bank.
A third of the Labour cabinet have been pressing Starmer to move forward with the recognition, with over 130 MPs signing a letter backing it.
An asset freeze and travel bans were also imposed on Itamar Ben-Gvir, the Israeli security minister, and Bezalel Smotrich, finance minister, earlier this year. Despite this, the Prime Minister welcomed Isaac Herzog – Israel’s president – on a visit to the UK last week.
Herzog claimed the genocide in Gaza was being waged to “defend the free world”.
