The British Prime Minister said the UK will recognize the Palestinian state unless Israel agrees to a ceasefire.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Tuesday that the UK will recognize a Palestinian state in September – unless Israel agrees to a ceasefire in Gaza and moves towards a long-term peace step.
Starmer, together, called the ministers to attend a rare summer cabinet meeting to discuss the situation in Gaza.
He told them that the UK would recognize a Palestinian state before the UN General Assembly, “Unless the Israeli government takes substantial steps to end the shocking situation in Gaza, the ceasefire is explicitly stated that there is no annexation in the West Bank and that it is committed to a long-term peace process to provide a two-state solution.”
Starmer’s remarks come after French President Emmanuel Macron said his country would become the first of the first to recognize the Palestinian state in September next year.
Israel and Hamas are both facing pressure at home and abroad at home and abroad to reach an agreement after nearly two years of war, the humanitarian situation in Gaza deteriorates, and Israelis are worried about the conditions for holding hostages.
When Canadian Broadcasting News reporters asked whether Canada would recognize Palestinian national status, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada would continue to support the two-state solution with “free and viable Palestinian living in peace, side by side with Israel’s peace and security.”
Asked last week whether Canada would follow France, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada would continue to support a two-state solution to “free and viable Palestinian life side by side with peace and security in Israel.”
A few days later, Ottawa announced $10 million in funding to lead a globally recognized country for the Palestinian authorities, including Gaza and the West Bank. The federal government has also added $30 million to humanitarian funding for desperate Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned Macron’s decision, saying such a move “rewards terror and risked the adventure of creating another Iranian agent.”
Netanyahu said in an article on X: “In this case, the Palestinian state will be the launch pad to annihilate Israel – don’t live in peace beside it. We are clear: Palestinians do not seek states with Israel; they seek a country, not Israel.”
