UK formally recognizes State of Palestine as Starmer seeks to revive Middle East peace process
Britain establishes full diplomatic ties with Palestine, endorses 1967 borders with land swaps and a shared capital in Jerusalem, while Hamas remains excluded from government
The United Kingdom formally recognized the State of Palestine on Sunday, a move by Prime Minister Keir Starmer intended to keep alive the prospect of a two-state peace agreement as world leaders gather at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The decision includes establishing full diplomatic relations, with a Palestinian ambassador in London and a British ambassador in Palestine. The Foreign Office also updated its website to refer to Palestine rather than the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Britain said the Palestinian state would be based on the 1967 lines with equal land swaps, and that final borders would be settled through future negotiations. There would also be a shared capital in Jerusalem.
The move follows a pledge made by Starmer in July that recognition would come this month if Israel did not meet conditions tied to ending the Gaza blockade and committing to a ceasefire. Israel did not meet those conditions, according to the notes accompanying the decision. Officials frame the step as a diplomatic shift rather than a concrete policy guarantee of peace or an immediate viable state.
Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy stressed that recognizing Palestine is not a reward for Hamas and that the militant group could have no role in government or security. The UK said it would continue to engage with the Palestinian Authority as the interlocutor, and not with Hamas as a governing partner.
The announcement comes at a time when the United Nations General Assembly is convening leaders from around the world, including countries such as France and Belgium that were expected to follow suit in recognizing a Palestinian state. Officials described the move as part of a broader international effort to revive the idea of a two-state solution, with Israel and Palestine coexisting within secure, recognised borders.
Analysts and diplomats characterized Britain’s step as largely symbolic in the near term, but potentially meaningful for the diplomacy surrounding a negotiated settlement. By establishing full diplomatic relations and endorsing a framework based on 1967 borders with land swaps, London signals that a Palestinian state remains an objective within the broader peace process, even as immediate breakthroughs remain uncertain.