More than 100 years after the Balfour Declaration backed “the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people”, and 77 years after the creation of Israel in the British Mandate of Palestine, the United Kingdom is set to formally recognise a Palestinian state.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to make the announcement on Sunday, two days before the start of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), where Palestinian sovereignty after decades of occupation and apartheid by Israel will be in focus.
The move comes after the UK government said in July that it would shift its longstanding approach of holding off recognition until a supposed moment of maximum impact – unless Israel stops its genocidal war in Gaza, commits to a long-term sustainable peace process that delivers a two-state solution, and allows more aid into the enclave.
But the catastrophic situation in Gaza has only grown significantly more dire over the past few weeks, as the Israeli military continues to systematically destroy Gaza City to seize it, while continuing to starve and displace the famine-stricken population of the enclave.
Daily raids by Israeli soldiers and attacks by settlers are also ongoing across the occupied West Bank, with Israel advancing plans to annex the Palestinian territory and “bury” the idea of a contiguous Palestinian state with occupied East Jerusalem as its capital.
The Israeli government has blasted the UK allies as well as more than 75 percent of UN member states that formally recognise Palestinian sovereignty, claiming their stance “rewards terrorism”.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch claimed she wants to see a two-state solution in the region, but signalled she wants to move in lockstep with Israel and the United States, its ironclad military, financial and political backer.
“It is obvious, and the US has been clear on this, that recognition of a Palestinian state at this time and without the release of the hostages, would be a reward for terrorism,” she wrote in The Telegraph over the weekend.
US President Donald Trump expressed his disagreement with recognition during a state visit to the UK last week and a meeting with Starmer.
Some of the family members of Israeli captives held in Gaza also pounced on the UK government for the decision, urging the prime minister in an open letter on Saturday not to take the step until the remaining 48 captives, about 20 of whom are believed to be alive, are returned.
The announcement had “dramatically complicated efforts to bring home our loved ones”, they wrote, adding that it is a “victory” for Hamas.
In a meeting in London earlier this month, Starmer and Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas emphasised that Hamas should have no place in the future leadership of Palestine. Israel has said it will stop both the PA and Hamas from having any future leadership role.
The UK government is also considering further steps to sanction Hamas in the coming weeks, according to British media. The group has long been formally considered a “terrorist” organisation in the UK and much of the West.
The government has continued to arm and fund Israel during the two-year war, even as an increasing number of credible international organisations and investigations, including a UN inquiry, confirmed that genocide is being carried out in Gaza.
More world powers recognise Palestine
The UK’s announcement means that 148 of the 193 member states of the UN recognise Palestinian statehood, and more will join soon.
Portugal is preparing to make a formal announcement, as is France. They join Spain, Ireland, Norway and others among the latest who have made the move in light of the war on Gaza, which has killed more than 65,000 Palestinians so far.
After the moves by the UK and France are finalised, the US will be left as the only permanent member of the UN Security Council that refuses to recognise Palestinian sovereignty.
Germany has also resisted making the move, arguing that the required conditions are not met at the moment.
On Monday, France and Saudi Arabia will jointly host a delayed one-day summit in New York at the UN on advancing a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine.
At least in the short term, the move to recognise a Palestinian state will be largely symbolic as all Palestinian territory is currently under deadly military occupation by Israel, which continues to emphasise the right to “defend” itself.
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