UK to recognize Palestinian state in Sept unless Israel meets conditions: FM

The United Kingdom has urged Israel to end the appalling situation in Gaza and commit to a long-term, sustainable peace, or the British government will recognize a Palestinian state in September, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said at the UN headquarters on Tuesday.

At a high-level international conference on the peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine and the implementation of the two-state solution, Lammy said the UK is determined to "protect the viability of the two-state solution".

"His Majesty’s Government therefore intends to recognize the state of Palestine when the UN General Assembly gathers in September here in New York," Lammy said.

"We will do it unless the Israeli government acts to end the appalling situation in Gaza, ends its military campaign and commits to a long and sustainable peace based on a two-state solution," he continued.

Lammy’s words echoed those of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer who said earlier on Tuesday that the UK will recognize a Palestinian state by the time of the United Nations General Assembly in September, unless the Israeli government agrees to a ceasefire and revives the prospect of a two-state solution.

This includes Israel allowing the UN to resume the delivery of humanitarian aid, and clearly committing to ending the annexations of Palestinian land in the West Bank, Starmer said.

According to British media, more than 200 members of parliament recently called on the prime minister to recognize a Palestinian state.

In a statement published on July 25 on the situation in Gaza, Starmer said that Britain wanted to promote the peace process and urgently called for a ceasefire, adding that "recognition of a Palestinian state has to be one of those steps."

Since the outbreak of the current round of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in October 2023, European countries such as Spain, Norway, Ireland, and Slovenia, as well as several non-European countries, have announced their recognition of Palestinian statehood.

France announced last week that it will formally recognize Palestinian statehood at the UN General Assembly in September.

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