President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi (R) UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer (L). Photo: Egyptian Presidency
In a statement posted to social media on Tuesday, El-Sisi welcomed the announcement by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, calling it “the right step” toward restoring the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people. He also reaffirmed Egypt’s long-held position that a just and comprehensive resolution to the Palestinian issue remains the only path to lasting peace in the region.
Starmer’s pledge came during an emergency cabinet meeting amid escalating humanitarian concerns in Gaza. According to Downing Street, the UK will formally recognize Palestinian statehood at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in September, if Israel has not taken specific steps toward peace by then.
Those conditions include ending the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, agreeing to a ceasefire, halting annexation efforts in the occupied West Bank, and committing to a credible political process that leads to a two-state solution.
‘A historical injustice still unfolding’
Speaking from New York at a UN conference on Palestine, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy took a sharper tone, describing the situation in Gaza as “heartbreaking” and condemning Israel’s “drip-feeding” of humanitarian aid. “Children are starving, and the world is horrified. This is an affront to the values of the Charter of the United Nations,” he said, calling the Israeli government’s rejection of a two-state solution “morally and strategically wrong.”
Lammy linked the UK’s historic role in the conflict to its present-day responsibility.
Referencing the 1917 Balfour Declaration—Britain’s endorsement of a Jewish homeland in Palestine—he noted that the document also stated: "that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of non-Jewish communities in Palestine."
That promise, he said, “was not kept,” and its failure constitutes “a historical injustice which continues to unfold.”
“There is no contradiction between support for Israel’s security and support for Palestinian statehood,” Lammy said to applause. “Indeed, the opposite is true.”
He confirmed that Britain, bearing “the hand of history on its shoulder,” intends to back Palestinian statehood at the UN General Assembly this September,
Momentum grows across Europe
The UK’s shift aligns it with a growing number of countries pushing for formal recognition of Palestine.
On 24 July, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France, too, would recognize a Palestinian state in a speech to the UN General Assembly this September. France’s foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, echoed the UK’s move in a statement on social media, calling it a “pivotal decision” that could help “break the endless cycle of violence.”
From New York, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty praised France’s decision as a “historic and defining step” that could bolster international backing for the two-state solution. He reiterated Egypt’s support for the creation of a Palestinian state along the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Divisions in Washington
Reaction from Washington was mixed. US President Donald Trump first told reporters that he had “no problem” with Starmer’s decision. But later, speaking aboard Air Force One, he walked back that position, saying the US “is not in that camp.” According to Axios journalist Barak Ravid, Trump added that recognizing a Palestinian state would “serve Hamas.”
To date, 147 of the 193 UN member states—roughly three-quarters—have recognized the State of Palestine, which was granted non-member observer status at the UN in 2012. In May 2024, the General Assembly voted to expand Palestine’s rights within the body, allowing greater participation in committee work, though without granting voting rights.
Since 2023, ten more countries—including Norway, Ireland, Spain, Mexico, and Slovenia—have extended official recognition. That momentum, long driven by frustrations over stalled negotiations and worsening conditions on the ground, now appears to be entering a new phase of political urgency among key Western powers.
Short link: