Keir Starmer announces plan to recognise Palestinian state

The UK Government will recognise Palestinian statehood unless Israel ends the "appalling situation" in Gaza, Keir Starmer has said.

UK aid drops began in Gaza today, where infrastructure has been levelled and food shortages are rife, with people now dying of starvation and malnutrition.

The PM backs a two-state solution and has said there would be "no role for Hamas in future governance".

The organisation was behind the October 7th attacks on Israel in 2023, which resulted in the prolonged military offensive in Gaza.

Issuing a list of conditions, Starmer said the UK will recognise Palestinian statehood in September "unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza, reaches a ceasefire, makes clear there will be no annexation in the West Bank and commits to a long-term peace process that delivers a two-state solution".

Last week France pledged to recognise Palestine in a step that will coincide with the staging of the UN General Assembly.

The UK timeline coincides with that and at a cabinet meeting today Starmer said images of starvation had "deeply affected the British public and underscored the increasingly intolerable situation".

He said the October 7th attacks were an "outrage" and Hamas must "immediately release" all remaining hostages, sign up to a ceasefire and disarm, as well as accepting they will "play no part in the government of Gaza".

In a speech to the press, Starmer said: "On the 7th of October 2023 Hamas perpetrated the worst massacre in Israel’s history. Every day since then, the horror has continued. The hostages are still being held today. The Palestinian people have endured terrible suffering. Now in Gaza, because of a catastrophic failure of aid we see starving babies, children too weak to stand: images that will stay with us for a lifetime. The suffering must end. 

"Yesterday I discussed this with President Trump. And we are mounting a major effort to get humanitarian supplies back in."

He went on: "We need to see at least 500 trucks entering Gaza every day. But ultimately the only way to bring this humanitarian crisis to an end is through a long-term settlement. So we are supporting the US, Egyptian and Qatari efforts to secure a vital ceasefire. That ceasefire must be sustainable and it must lead to a wider peace plan, which we are developing with our international partners. 

"This plan will deliver security and proper governance in Gaza and pave the way for negotiations on a two-state solution. 

"Our goal remains a safe and secure Israel, alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state. But right now – that goal is under pressure like never before. 

"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."

First Minister John Swinney backed the news but called on Starmer to go further, saying: "Having called on the UK Government to recognise the state of Palestine, I welcome the intent behind this announcement.

"However, recognition of a Palestinian state should be irreversible. Recognition must not be conditional and must be backed by sanctions against Israel if the violence continues.

"Israel must today agree to a ceasefire and allow humanitarian aid to flow in much more volume to address the starvation being faced in Gaza.

"A two-state solution is the only way that the Palestinian and Israeli peoples can have a future, living side-by-side in peace and security. The Palestinian people deserve no less.

"This announcement comes on the day that the number of deaths reported passed 60,000, a truly horrific milestone that shames us all. The Israeli government must commit to end the killing and comply with its international obligations on the investigation of genocide and war crimes. We must see the unconditional release of all hostages."