Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer. AFP
According to the British newspaper, Starmer delayed the announcement until after Trump’s departure to avoid overshadowing Thursday’s joint press conference between the two leaders.
While the United States remains firmly opposed to recognizing a Palestinian state, London intends to move forward before next week’s United Nations General Assembly meetings in New York.
France, Canada, Australia, and other Western nations are also expected to take similar steps during the UN sessions.
Currently, 147 of the UN’s 193 member states recognize the State of Palestine.
On Friday, the UN General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to support a declaration calling for “tangible, time-bound, and irreversible steps” toward a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine.
In July, under growing pressure from Labour MPs over the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Starmer announced that Britain would recognize a Palestinian state unless Israel agrees to a ceasefire and a long-term peace plan leading to a two-state solution and allows the UN to resume aid deliveries.
Those conditions remain unmet as Israel is currently pressing a major ground offensive in Gaza City, causing widespread destruction, high civilian casualties, and forcing thousands to flee.
The move highlights growing tensions between Washington and London over Israel’s war in Gaza.
British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper condemned Israel’s ground assault on Gaza City as “reckless and utterly horrifying,” warning it would lead to further civilian deaths and put Israeli captives at risk.
By contrast, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is accompanying Trump in London, reiterated Washington’s firm support for Israel and dismissed recognition moves by Britain, France, and other allies as “largely symbolic” and an “obstacle to peace.”
A third of the UK cabinet is pressing Starmer to move forward with recognition, and more than 130 Labour MPs have signed a letter supporting the decision.
On Tuesday, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry (COI) said Israel is committing “genocide” in Gaza with the intent to “destroy the Palestinians.”
The COI concluded that since October 2023, Israeli authorities and forces have committed “four of the five genocidal acts” listed in the 1948 Genocide Convention.
Since the start of the war, Israeli attacks have killed nearly 65,000 people, wounded more than 160,000, mostly women and children, and destroyed most of Gaza’s infrastructure.
In August, the UN declared famine in Gaza, the first in the Middle East, due to Israel’s total blockade on humanitarian aid for the territory’s 2.3 million population.
More than 450 Palestinians have died from starvation and acute malnutrition in the past six months as a result of the Israeli blockade.
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