Sir Keir Starmer is expected to announce the UK’s recognition of the Palestinian state in a statement on Sunday afternoon.
The move comes after the prime minister said in July that the UK would change its position in September if Israel did not meet conditions, including agreeing to a ceasefire in Gaza and committing to a long-term sustainable peace deal that offers a two-state solution.
The move represents a major shift in British foreign policy after successive governments said recognition should come as part of a peace process and at a time of maximum impact.
This action has drawn harsh criticism from the Israeli government, the hostages’ families and some conservatives, foreign media write, reports Telegraph.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu previously said such a move “rewards terror.”
However, UK ministers argue that there was a moral responsibility to act to keep alive the hope of a long-term peace agreement.
Government sources have said that the situation on the ground had deteriorated significantly in recent weeks.
They cited images showing hunger and violence in Gaza, which the prime minister has previously described as “intolerable.”
Israel’s latest ground operation in Gaza City, described by a UN official as “catastrophic”, has forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee.
Earlier this week, a United Nations investigative commission concluded that Israel had committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, which Israel denounced as “distorted and false.”
The ministers also highlighted the continued expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, which are illegal under international law, as a key factor in the decision to recognize Palestinian statehood.
Justice Secretary David Lammy, who was foreign secretary in July when the path to recognition was announced, cited the controversial E1 settlement project, which critics warn would end hopes for a viable and continuous Palestinian state.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the UK’s promise of recognition when he visited Sir Keir earlier this month, with Downing Street saying the two leaders had agreed that Hamas would have no role in the future governance of Palestine.