London (AP) – The UK announces it will do so Recognize the Palestinian state In September, unless Israel agrees to a ceasefire Gazahalt construction of settlements on the West Bank and commit to a solution for the two states.
The UK follows France last week. Recognize the Palestinian state At the UN General Assembly in September.
Over 140 countries have already taken that action, but France and the UK are important as groups of seven and members of the UN Security Council. Both countries hope that, boldly, if primarily symbolic, diplomatic moves will put pressure on Israel, alleviate Gaza’s devastating humanitarian crisis and blow life away.
What the priorities said
Prime Minister Kiel said on Tuesday that Britain will recognize the Palestinian state in September. A scary situation In Gaza, we agree to a ceasefire, commit to long-term, sustainable peace and revive the prospects of solutions for the two states. ”
He said it would include allowing the United Nations to resume supply of aid and making it clear that there will be no annexation. West Bank. ”
He also said that the priority must allow Hamas to release all hostages, agree to a ceasefire, disarm, and “accept not to participate in the Gaza government.” The UK says it’s because Hamas doesn’t play a role in the solution for the two states.
People took part in a protest outside London’s Downing Street suburbs on Tuesday, July 29th, 2025, as Kiel Prime Minister Stage gathered senior ministers for an urgent cabinet meeting in Gaza. (Jonathan Brady/PA via AP)
The UK felt that it was now or never
The UK has supported an independent Palestinian state along with Israel for decades, but is claimed to have been recognized as part of a peace plan to achieve a solution for the two states.
UK officials are increasingly worried that such a solution is becoming almost impossible. Not only due to the destruction of Gaza and the movement of its majority population during the war, but also due to the aggressive expansion of Israeli government. Reconciliation on the West Bankthe land Palestinians want their future nation. Many in the world consider Israel’s occupation of the West Bank illegal.
“The moment of action is now,” Minister Heidi Alexander told Times Radio. “An effective annexation of the West Bank is taking place.”
Also, as horror spreads, they put glamorous domestic pressure to do something Gaza Hunger Scene.
More than 250 of the 650 MPs in the House recently signed a letter urging the British government to recognize the Palestinian state. Polls suggest that far more Brits support perceptions than many Brits oppose, but many have yet to be determined.
The reaction is biased
Israel quickly condemned the British move. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who rejects the two states’ solution on both nationalism and security grounds, said he has issued a starry announcement that he will “reward Hamas’ enormous terrorism and punish its victims.”
The Israeli families who were held hostages in Hamas were also important.
“Recognizing the Palestinian state while 50 hostages remain trapped in the Hamas tunnels will reward terrorism,” said the Hostage Family Forum, which represents relatives of many hostages. Emily Damali, a British and Israeli citizen, was called a “moral failure” that had been captured for over a year.
The British statement was welcomed by Palestinian authority. The Palestinian government considers the UK to be a legitimate representative of the Palestinians. There is limited autonomy in the occupied West Bank pocket.
Husam Zomlot, an envoy of the Palestinian authorities in London, said the British statement was “a corrective action against the confiscation of more than a century when the Palestinians have been taken away from our land, liberty and lives.”
People took part in a protest outside London’s Downing Street suburbs on Tuesday, July 29th, 2025, as Kiel Prime Minister Stage gathered senior ministers for an urgent cabinet meeting in Gaza. (Jonathan Brady/PA via AP)
Limited influence, historical weight
In reality, the UK’s impact on Israel is limited. The British government has suspended free trade talks and has stopped arms cargo to Israel over the implementation of the war, but is not a major economic or military partner.
However, history has given Britain a special interest and role in the Middle East.
Foreign Secretary David Lamy said the UK was “a special burden of responsibility” as a former governing force for being Palestine at the time and author in 1917. Balfour Declarationsupported the establishment of Jewish homelands, but also pledged to protect the rights of Palestinians.
“This is a historic injustice that is unsupported and continues to unfold,” Ramy told the United Nations Tuesday.
Most of the UK’s major political parties support solutions in two states. However, central opposition conservatives said the priorities were premature.
“The perception of the Palestinian state is only meaningful if it is part of the formal peace process and the hostages are still being held captive by terrorists and cannot occur while Hamas’ terrorist rule continues.”
Centrifying Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davy welcomed the prioritization statement as a step forward, but said the prime minister should not use the Palestinian state as a “negotiation tip.”
This move can trigger diplomatic momentum
The UK and France want other countries to follow their moves. On Tuesday, Malta, a member of the European Union, also said in September it would recognize the Palestinian state.
Germany, Israel’s major European power and powerful ally, remains a holdout. Prime Minister Friedrich Merz reiterated his own position that the perception of the Palestinian state could be “one of the last steps in the path to achieving a solution for the two states,” but Berlin has no “short-term” plan of perception.
Real influence rests with the US, and the star’s careful approach may be designed to persuade President Donald Trump He takes a tougher line with his ally Netanyahu. The outlook is uncertain, to say the least. Asked about the UK’s attitude on Tuesday, Trump said, “We’ve never seen it.”
Yossi Mekelberg, Middle Eastern expert at Chatham House, international affairs think tank, said it was “unquestionable” that the global majority supports the Palestinian state, but it is not enough to make it happen.
“The UK’s perception or France’s perception is not internationally recognized,” he said. “We need a (UN) Security Council, and that doesn’t happen for certain people in the White House.”
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Associated Press writer Geir Moulson from Berlin contributed to the story.
