The UK is set to formally recognise the state of Palestine, with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer expected to make the announcement on Sunday.
In July, Starmer warned that recognition would go ahead unless Israel met conditions including agreeing to a ceasefire, committing to a long-term peace process, allowing UN aid access, halting annexation of the West Bank, and improving the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Those conditions have not been met. Israel has instead expanded military operations in Gaza, where a famine has been declared in Gaza City. The UK foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper, has described Israel’s current ground offensive to seize the city as “utterly reckless and appalling”.
The Israeli foreign ministry has strongly condemned the UK decision. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Starmer was “rewarding Hamas’s monstrous terrorism and punishing its victims”.
Earlier this month, a UN commission of inquiry concluded that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza. Israel rejected the finding as “distorted and false”.
Britain will now join 147 of the 193 UN member states that recognise Palestine ahead of the UN General Assembly in New York on Monday. France, Australia and Canada are also preparing similar announcements in a coordinated diplomatic effort.
The move has been criticised by the United States. Speaking alongside Starmer at Chequers on Thursday, President Donald Trump said he disagreed with recognition, while US politicians have urged Britain and other allies to reverse their decision.
Israel is considering how to respond, though officials have not yet disclosed the scale of any measures. Families of some of the 48 hostages still held by Hamas and other groups since the 7 October 2023 attack wrote an open letter to Starmer, urging him to delay recognition until the hostages are released.
The UK government has said it will continue to press Hamas to free all captives, agree to an immediate ceasefire, renounce governing Gaza, and commit to disarmament.
