LONDON: Britain was set Sunday to recognise a Palestinian state with a landmark announcement due from Prime Minister Keir Starmer, as several nations were poised to also up pressure on Israel over the Gaza war at upcoming UN talks.
Starmer “will set out the position later on today”, his deputy David Lammy told the BBC on Sunday, without confirming UK media reports that there would be full recognition of a Palestinian state.
Portugal was also to recognise Palestinian statehood, with Lisbon’s foreign ministry saying “the official declaration of recognition will be made on Sunday, September 21”.
Although a largely symbolic move, it would mark a significant shift in foreign policy for the UK which has had long, close ties to Israel.
Britain would become the first G7 country to take the step with France and others expected to follow at the annual UN General Assembly which opens Monday in New York.
But the move would put the UK at odds with the United States and Israel, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reacting angrily and vowing to oppose it at the UN talks.
Calls for a Palestinian state “would endanger our existence and serve as absurd reward for terrorism,“ Netanyahu said Sunday.
It is a watershed moment for Palestinian statehood, with the most powerful western nations having long argued it should only be part of a negotiated peace deal with Israel.
But a growing number of longtime allies have shifted positions, as Israel has intensified its Gaza offensive, triggered by Hamas’s unprecedented October 7, 2023 attack.
The besieged Palestinian territory has suffered vast destruction, a spiralling death toll and a lack of food that has sparked a major humanitarian crisis.
‘Special burden’
The UK government has come under increasing public pressure to act, with thousands rallying every month on the streets. A poll released by YouGov on Friday showed two-thirds of young Britons aged 18-25 supported Palestinian statehood.
Lammy acknowledged at the UN in July that “Britain bears a special burden of responsibility to support the two-state solution”.
Over a century ago, the UK was pivotal in laying the groundwork for the creation of the state of Israel through the 1917 Balfour Declaration.
Three-quarters of UN members already recognise Palestinian statehood, with over 140 of the 193 having taken the step.
Starmer said in July that his Labour government intended to recognise a Palestinian State unless Israel took “substantive” steps including reaching a ceasefire in Gaza, getting more aid into the territory and confirming it would not annex the West Bank.
Starmer has also repeatedly called on Hamas to release the remaining hostages they captured in the 2023 attack, and is expected to set out new sanctions on the Palestinian militants.
Lammy told the BBC on Sunday that the Palestinian Authority — the civilian body that governs in areas of the West Bank — had been calling for the move for some time “and I think a lot of that is wrapped up in hope”.
“Will this feed children? No it won’t, that’s down to humanitarian aid. Will this free hostages? That must be down to a ceasefire.”
But he said it was an attempt to “hold out for” a two-state solution.
Palestinian foreign minister Varsen Aghabekian Shahin told AFP last week: “Recognition is not symbolic.”
“It sends a very clear message to the Israelis on their illusions on continuing their occupation forever,“ she added.
‘Worrying evolution’
Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures.
Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed at least 65,208 people, also mostly civilians, according to figures from the Gazan health ministry that the United Nations considers reliable.
Portugal’s foreign ministry said on Friday that it would also formally declare its recognition on Sunday.
Lisbon said in July that it intended to do so, citing the “extremely worrying evolution of the conflict”.
Thousands of Israelis are also calling on the international community to formally recognise a Palestinian state in a campaign which has gained 8,500 signatures on a petition to the UN.
By continuing the war, “we’re only going to escalate the cycle of violence, bloodshed, and revenge we’ve been trapped within, not since October 7, but for a century,“ said campaigner Maoz Inon – AFP