UK Opposition Leader Kemi Badenoch denounced the government’s recognition of a Palestinian state, calling the move “absolutely disastrous” and a reward for terrorism.
“Disastrous. Absolutely disastrous. We will all rue the day this decision was made. Rewarding terrorism with no conditions whatsoever put in place for Hamas,” Badenoch declared.
She argued that the recognition abandons Israeli hostages and does nothing to alleviate the suffering of civilians caught in the war. “It leaves hostages languishing in Gaza and does nothing to stop the suffering of innocent people caught in this war,” she said.
Badenoch accused the Labour government of using foreign policy to distract from domestic failures. “It is because Labour cannot fix the big problems in our society that they focus on discredited student union campaigns to appease the hard left,” she charged.
Listing key areas where she said Labour has failed, Badenoch continued: “They cannot fix the NHS, so they push assisted suicide. They cannot create jobs for young people, so they give them votes at 16. They cannot sort out immigration, but they will recognise Palestine instead. And so on.”
She also referenced Labour’s past actions, criticizing the government’s reparations payment to Mauritius and the surrender of the Chagos Islands. “This is the same man who paid £35bn of reparations to Mauritius along with the surrender of the Chagos islands,” she said.
Badenoch concluded that the decision reflects Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s lack of vision and poor judgment. “Everything we are seeing is a consequence of a Prime Minister [who] has no plan for the country and no judgment. He will spend the next four years delivering the hobby horses of the Labour left to stay in power and leave a HUGE mess for us to clean up.”
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said he had spoken directly with Badenoch following her remarks. “Just spoke with the leader of the Conservative Party in the UK, Kemi Badenoch. I emphasized the moral severity and diplomatic error in the British government’s decision to recognize a ‘Palestinian state’. She expressed, as she had publicly done before, her fierce opposition to the British government’s decision. I expressed our appreciation for her position. I also said that we know we have more friends in the UK and we know how to distinguish between the English people and the English government. We agreed to remain in contact, and I invited her to visit Israel.”
Reform UK leader MP Nigel Farage also voiced criticism of the decision: “The Prime Minister is wrong to recognise a Palestinian state. This is a reward for the Hamas terrorists and will do nothing to bring about peace.”