UK recognises Palestinian state as Starmer faces backlash from Netanyahu and hostages’ families

Britain formally recognised a future Palestinian state on Sunday as part of a renewed push for a two-state solution in the Middle East. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the step would revive the hope of peace and insisted Hamas would have no role in any Palestinian government. He stressed the decision was not a reward for violence, and Hamas quickly hailed the move as a victory for its cause.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other leaders condemned the recognition, branding Starmer a 'modern-day appeaser' and saying the move amounts to a 'reward for terrorism' and an 'enormous prize.' Netanyahu said there would be no Palestinian state west of the Jordan River and signaled Israel would respond after attending the UN General Assembly in New York. France, Portugal and Belgium were among Western partners expected to recognise Palestinian statehood at a regional summit this week, as Australia and Canada did alongside the UK on Sunday afternoon.

Amir Ohana, speaker of the Knesset, called Starmer a 'modern-day appeaser who chose dishonour.' May Golan, minister for social equality, told the Daily Mail that recognising a Palestinian state now would legitimise a terror entity and act as a 'reward for the modern-day Nazis' who murdered, raped, and kidnapped Jews on October 7. The Board of Deputies of British Jews said the move had 'done nothing to advance a ceasefire, free the hostages, stop the suffering of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip or advance long-term peace' and could 'set those goals back' by reducing pressure on Hamas. Adam Ma’anit, the British cousin of murdered hostage Tsachi Idan, called it 'nothing less than a betrayal of the hostages and their families.' The Hostages and Missing Families Forum UK said: 'Instead of confronting Hamas, Britain has emboldened it.'

Tory Leader Kemi Badenoch called it an 'absolutely disastrous' step, adding that it leaves hostages languishing in Gaza and does nothing to stop the suffering of innocent people caught in this war. Shadow Foreign Secretary Dame Priti Patel accused Sir Keir of 'capitulating to hard-Left factions' and said it undermines moral authority, while Shadow Attorney General Lord Wolfson argued the move has little to do with peace in the Middle East and everything to do with peace in the Labour Party. Former MI6 chief Sir Richard Dearlove told Times Radio that the decision was 'ridiculous' diplomatically, making Hamas look like it had achieved a victory.

In July, Starmer pledged to recognise Palestinian statehood if Israel did not end the 'appalling situation' in Gaza. On Sunday, Foreign Office pages reportedly changed references from Occupied Palestinian Territories to Palestine. Starmer condemned the 'intolerable' starvation and devastation caused by Israel's bombardment in Gaza, but argued that the two-state solution remained the 'exact opposite' of Hamas's hateful vision. He promised fresh sanctions on Hamas and reiterated that the recognition would be based on pre-1967 borders with a shared capital in Jerusalem, with Hamas having no future in a future Palestinian government.

Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy acknowledged that the move would not end the Gaza conflict, telling the BBC: 'Will this feed children? No... that's down to humanitarian aid. Will this free hostages? That must be down to a ceasefire.'