One week after France announced that they would officially recognise the State of Palestine in September, Keir Starmer, United Kingdom Prime Minister, announced that they would do the same unless Israel promises a ceasefire on Gaza by September.
Starmer announced it on a televised press conference, saying that the situation in Gaza, with starvation reaching catastrophic levels, is "intolerable". "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" (via BBC).
Unlike the recent recognitions by Ireland, Norway, Spain and soon France, Starmer's proposal for the recognition of the State of Palestine is conditional. Those conditions are that Israel "take substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza", reaching a ceasefire and committing to a long-term peace. The UK's PM hopes with this move to "play a part in changing the conditions on the ground", including getting aid to Gaza, and said that it's part of an "eight-part peace plan" which the government has been working on for some time.
In response, Israel said that this shift in the British government's position is "a reward for Hamas and harms efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and a framework for the release of hostages". Similar words used by Donald Trump, who said that the recognition of a Palestinian state is akin to "rewarding Hamas".
As a reminder, Starmer said that their demands on Hamas remain the same, including releasing all hostages, disarming and accepting they would not take part in Gaza's government.
The announcement comes the day Palestine announced the death tool since October 2023 rises to 60,000 people.