Starmer announces formal UK recognition of Palestinian state
Published by BBC News
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Who is named
The characters and things this document talks about — 30 in alls. Each links to everything else the record knows about them.
People 13
Sir Keir Starmer Itamar Ben Gvir Mandy Damari Priti Patel Benjamin Netanyahu Anthony Albanese Husam Zomlot David Lammy Kemi Badenoch Mark Carney Paulo Rangel Mahmoud Abbas Ed Davey
Organisations 10
Australia United Nations General Assembly Hostages and Missing Families Forum UK Portugal Israel Palestinian state Gaza health ministry Palestinian Authority Canada Hamas
Places 5
Claims made
Every claim in this document. Firsthand = asserted on its own basis; secondhand = recounted from elsewhere, carrying no independent weight.
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By September 2025 Netanyahu publicly declared:“There will be no Palestinian state to the west of the Jordan River.”
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In a video statement on X, the prime minister said: "In the face of the growing horror in the Middle East we are acting to keep alive the possibility of peace and a two-state solution."
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Australia, Canada and Portugal also announced formal recognition of the state of Palestine.
Australia, Canada and Portugal also announced formal recognition of the state of Palestine
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Both the Israeli and US governments say recognition is a diplomatic gift for Hamas following its attack in southern Israel on 7 October 2023
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Sir Keir Starmer insisted the decision is not a reward for Hamas.
Sir Keir insisted the decision "is not a reward for Hamas"
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Sir Keir Starmer said Hamas can have no future, no role in government and no role in security.
Sir Keir insisted the decision "is not a reward for Hamas" because it means Hamas can have "no future, no role in government, no role in security".
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Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the decision, which Sir Keir had confirmed in a letter to the leader, saying it would help pave the way for the "state of Palestine to live side by side with the state of Israel in security, peace and good neighbourliness".
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The Foreign Office said it means the UK "recognises Palestinian statehood over provisional borders, based on 1967 lines with equal land swaps, to be finalised as part of future negotiations".
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A state of Palestine is currently recognised by around 75% of the UN's 193 member states, but has no internationally agreed boundaries, capital or army
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Announcing Canada's recognition on Sunday, Prime Minister Mark Carney offered "partnership in building the promise of a peaceful future" for both Palestine and Israel
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Australia's Anthony Albanese said it was "part of a co‑ordinated effort to build new momentum for a two‑state solution"
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Paulo Rangel said the two‑state solution is the only path to a just and lasting peace.
Portugal's Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel called the two‑state solution "the only path to a just and lasting peace"
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In July, Sir Keir set a deadline of the UN General Assembly meeting, which takes place next week, for the UK to announce recognition unless Israel took "substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza, agree to a ceasefire and commit to a long‑term, sustainable peace, reviving the prospect of a two‑state solution".
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Government sources said the situation on the ground had worsened significantly in the last few weeks, citing images showing starvation and violence in Gaza that Sir Keir previously described as "intolerable".
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On Sunday, the Hamas‑run Gaza health ministry said 71 people were killed and 304 injured in Israeli attacks in the past 24 hours.
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It is the latest Israeli offensive in the nearly two‑year war which has seen much of the Palestinian territory's population displaced, its infrastructure destroyed, and at least 65,208 people killed, according to the Gaza health ministry.
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UK ministers have also highlighted the continued expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, which are illegal under international law, as a key factor in the decision to recognise Palestinian statehood.
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Mohammed Jarrar, mayor of the West Bank city of Jenin, told the BBC that "this Israeli government wants to annex the West Bank" - but stressed recognition was important as "it confirms the fact that the Palestinian people possess a state, even if it is under occupation"
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Itamar Ben Gvir called for Israel to annex the West Bank and dismantle the Palestinian Authority.
Far‑right Israeli minister Itamar Ben Gvir responded to the news by calling for Israel to annex the West Bank and dismantle the Palestinian Authority.
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UK Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy acknowledged recognition would not necessarily change reality on the ground, but said "now is the time to stand up for a two‑state solution".
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He told BBC One's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme: "Will this feed children? No, it won't. That's down to humanitarian aid. Will it free hostages? That must be down to a ceasefire."
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Husam Zomlot, the Palestinian Authority's UK representative, told the BBC that recognition was an "inalienable right" that would mean "ending the denial of our existence" and that "the British people should celebrate today, when history is being corrected".
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Reacting to UK recognition, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called the move "absolutely disastrous", adding: "Rewarding terrorism with no conditions whatsoever put in place for Hamas."
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Priti Patel accused the prime minister of capitulating to the hard‑left factions of his party.
Shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel accused the prime minister of "capitulating to the hard‑left factions of his party".
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Ed Davey welcomed the decision and said it was long overdue.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey welcomed the decision, which he said was "long overdue".
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Mandy Damari, mother of former UK‑Israeli hostage Emily Damari, said Sir Keir was "under a two‑state delusion". Recognition rewarded Hamas while hostages were still in Gaza and the group still in power, she said.
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The Hostages and Missing Families Forum UK, which represents relatives of captives with British ties, condemned the decision, calling it a "betrayal of humanity and a move that rewards Hamas while 48 hostages remain in captivity".
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Hamas on Sunday welcomed the recognition as an "important step in affirming the right of our Palestinian people to their land and holy sites" but said it must be accompanied by "practical measures" that would lead to an "immediate end" to the war.
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Sir Keir Starmer announced the United Kingdom's recognition of a Palestinian state.
Sir Keir Starmer has announced the UK's recognition of a Palestinian state
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Sir Keir, who has repeatedly said Hamas can have no role in the future governance of a Palestinian state, said during his announcement that the UK had already proscribed and sanctioned Hamas and that he had directed work to sanction further Hamas figures in the coming weeks.
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