Israeli troops are pushing further into Gaza City, despite widespread condemnation of their military offensive, according to Effie Defrin, a spokesman for the IDF.
“Our operations against Hamas have moved deeper into Gaza City, targeting their main stronghold,” said Defrin in a video statement in English. “We are engaged in combat, facing terrorists both above and below ground.”
He added: “Israel continues to ensure that corridors remain open for civilians to move south, toward safer areas. Until now, 550,000 people have moved south.”
Defrin claimed Hamas had “opened fire on a UN team” earlier this week “and used stolen UN vehicles to block the construction of a new road for future aid trucks,” as well as “robbed four Unicef aid trucks at gunpoint — depriving 2,700 infants of baby formula.”
“Hamas continues to violently obstruct civilians from evacuating combat zones. Hamas doesn’t protect Gazans; they sacrifice them,” he added.
Israeli foreign minister: It’s a ‘diplomatic error’
Gideon Sa’ar, Israel’s foreign minister, has said he has spoken to Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the Conservatives, to discuss the “diplomatic error” of recognising a Palestinian state.
Sa’ar wrote in a post on X: “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.”
Declaration ‘will embolden the forces of darkness’
Isaac Herzog with Sir Keir Starmer earlier this month
THOMAS KRYCH/SHUTTERSTOCK
Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, said it was a “sad day for those who seek true peace” after the UK’s recognition of the state of Palestine.
“After the atrocities of October 7, while Hamas continues its campaign of terror, and while it continues to cruelly hold 48 hostages in the tunnels and dungeons of Gaza, the recognition of a Palestinian state by some nations today is, not surprisingly, cheered by Hamas,” he posted on X.
“It will not help one Palestinian, it won’t help free one hostage, and it will not help us reach any settlement between Israelis and Palestinians. It will only embolden the forces of darkness.”
Four of those killed in Lebanon were US citizens
Four of the people killed in the Israeli drone strike in Lebanon on Sunday — three children and their father — held US citizenship, the Lebanese parliament’s speaker has said.
Two others were wounded, including the mother in the family, it is believed.
Nawaf Salam, the prime minister, who endorsed an agreement last month that would gradually disarm Hezbollah, said the strike was a “message of intimidation targeting our people returning to their villages in the south”.
Writing on X, he added: “The states sponsoring the cessation of hostilities agreement must exert maximum pressure on Israel to immediately halt its attacks, withdraw from occupied Lebanese territories and release prisoners.”
Hamas: Cease all co-operation with Israel
Hamas has hailed the recognition of Palestinian statehood by the UK, Canada and Australia as an important step for Palestinians.
In a statement, the group, which is a proscribed terrorist organisation in the UK and elsewhere, said: “This recognition is an important step in affirming the right of our Palestinian people to their land and holy sites, and to establish their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.”
However, it said that the move “must be accompanied by practical measures” that would lead to an “immediate end” to the war in Gaza, and that Israel’s settlement plans in the West Bank must be opposed.
Hamas urged the international community, including the UN, to “cease all forms of co-operation and co-ordination” with Israel, impose “punitive measures” against it, and work to bring its leaders to justice “for their crimes against humanity”.
No French embassy in Palestine until hostages freed
In further comments, President Macron said France’s planned recognition of a Palestinian state would not include the opening of an embassy until Hamas freed the hostages held in Gaza.
“It will be, for us, a requirement very clearly before opening, for instance, an embassy in Palestine,” Macron told CBS News.
‘Historic moment should have come long ago’
Scotland’s first minister, John Swinney, has welcomed the UK’s decision to recognise a Palestinian state but called on the government to impose more sanctions on Israel.
He said: “The recognition of a Palestinian state is a historic moment which should have come long ago. I welcome this long-awaited recognition but stress that it must not be conditional and it must be backed by sanctions against Israel.
“In addition to the recognition of the state of Palestine, Israel must agree to a ceasefire and allow humanitarian aid to flow freely to address the starvation being faced in Gaza. A two-state solution is the only way that the Palestinians and Israelis can live side by side in peace, prosperity and security.
“I am proud to be attending an event to mark the recognition of the state of Palestine and will continue to do all that I can to support those suffering in Gaza and the West Bank.”
Lebanon’s president condemns Israeli drone strike
President Aoun of Lebanon has condemned an Israeli drone strike that killed five people in the southern city of Bint Jbeil earlier on Sunday, describing it as a “massacre”.
Speaking from New York, where the UN General Assembly is taking place, Aoun accused Israel of “persisting in its violations of international resolutions, above all the ceasefire agreement of November 27, 2024”.
He added: “There can be no peace over the blood of our children.”
No Palestinian state, Netanyahu vows
Netanyahu’s message to world leaders
Binyamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, said there would be no Palestinian state and vowed to expand Jewish settlement in the West Bank.
“For years, I have prevented the creation of this terror state despite enormous pressure both domestically and internationally,” he said in a statement. “We have done so with determination and political wisdom.
“Moreover, we have doubled Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria and we will continue on this path,” he said, using the Jewish biblical name for the West Bank in his statement.
Targeting West Bank is terrible mistake, Macron says
In further comments, President Macron also told US broadcasters that Israel’s “total war” approach was a failure.
“At the beginning of this war, you had more or less 25,000 Hamas fighters,” Macron said. “The Israeli army killed probably half of them but Hamas managed to recruit the equivalent. You have as many fighters as at the very beginning, which is the best evidence of the fact [that] if we want to dismantle Hamas, the total war is not the answer, because it’s just killing the credibility of Israel.”
Macron said his recognition was also partly triggered by Israel’s renewed targeting of the West Bank.
“There is no Hamas in West Bank. They just want to destroy the existing political bodies and the possibility of two states and I really believe this is a terrible mistake for Israel itself, because in doing so, they just kill any other perspective than war.”
Recognition a bad idea, hostage’s family says
Evyatar David in a Gaza tunnel, in a Hamas video released in August
AP
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum UK, a group representing relatives of captives with British ties, said in a statement: “Instead of confronting Hamas, Britain has emboldened it. Hamas has already celebrated the UK’s move as a victory, while continuing to block ceasefire deals and humanitarian access.”
The families demanded “concrete action” by ministers, including securing medical access for the hostages, applying maximum pressure to force Hamas to release them all, and guaranteeing they are not used as human shields amid intensifying fighting.
Ilay David, brother of hostage Evyatar David, who was seen emaciated in a Hamas video last month, said: “Any form of recognition from nations like the UK is a bad idea. The timing is wrong. We have to say, ‘Until the hostages are home and Hamas de-weaponises we cannot recognise anything’.”
Macron: Recognition of Palestine is necessary
President Macron rejected American criticism that France’s decision to recognise a Palestinian state would reward Hamas (David Charter writes from Washington).
Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, called the move “reckless” and said that it “sets back peace”, but Macron told CBS News it was necessary to combat Hamas.
“Recognising the Palestinian state today is the only way to provide a political solution to a situation which has to stop,” Macron told Face the Nation. France will formalise its recognition at the UN this week.
“The objective of Hamas is absolutely not to create a Palestinian state,” Macron said. “The objective of Hamas is to destroy Israel, to convince the maximum number of people that they have no chance to have peace and stability, and precisely a Palestinian state, and to kill the maximum number of Israeli people.
“This is why, if we want to stop this war, if we want to isolate Hamas, the recognition process and the peace plan which goes with this recognition process is a precondition.”
‘Recognition cannot be purely symbolic’
The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians has said recognition of a Palestinian state was important but called for the government to go further.
In a statement, the centre, which describes itself as an independent organisation of lawyers, politicians and academics, said, “Recognition cannot merely be symbolic. It means nothing to recognise a state’s existence while doing nothing tangible to prevent its eradication.
“Not only does the UK fail to protect Palestine’s sovereignty, but it is actively complicit in the genocide taking place in Gaza, through its continued supply of arms to Israel via the F-35 loophole.”
The centre is referring to the supply of British-made spare parts for US-produced F-35 fighter jets. Although the government suspended about about 30 arms export licences to Israel last September, the UK supplies components to a global pool of F-35s which Israel can access.
Earlier this year, the High Court rejected a case brought by campaigners to stop this transfer, saying that it did not have the constitutional authority to intervene.
The centre added: “Recognition must not be a valve to release pressure on the UK government complicity in the Gaza genocide. It must end its complicity and take concrete action to hold Israel to account.”
Starmer reaffirms UK commitment to Palestinian state
The prime minister has written to Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, to inform him of the UK’s decision and look forward to a “constructive relationship” between the two states.
In his letter, Sir Keir Starmer said: “I am conscious of the historical role that the United Kingdom has played in the Middle East.
“In 1917, Britain supported the principle of a national home for the Jewish people, noting that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities.
“In making this decision today, I reaffirm the United Kingdom’s commitment to a Palestinian state for the Palestinian people, and our enduring support for a two-state solution in which Palestinians and Israelis live side by side in peace and security.
“The United Kingdom looks forward to a new era of friendship and co-operation between the British and Palestinian peoples.”
Palestinian state ‘will not emerge overnight’
The recognition has been described as “symbolic”. However, Palestine already has some degree of international recognition, with diplomatic missions abroad and sports teams, but it has no internationally agreed boundaries, capital or army.
The Palestinian Authority, set up in the wake of peace agreements in the 1990s, has limited self-rule in parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, whose borders are controlled by Israel.
Earlier today, David Lammy, the deputy prime minister, acknowledged that a Palestinian state would not emerge overnight but helped keep the prospect of a two-state solution alive.
Recognition also allows the UK to enter treaties with Palestine and make the Palestine head of mission a fully recognised ambassador. It could also place greater pressure on the UK to boycott goods imported into the UK by Israel that come from the occupied territories.
‘Victory for the rights of Palestinians’
A senior Hamas official hailed Britain, Canada and Australia’s recognition of a Palestinian state, describing it as a victory for the rights of Palestinians.
“These developments represent a victory for Palestinian rights and the justice of our cause, and send a clear message: no matter how far the occupation goes in its crimes, it will never be able to erase our national rights,” Mahmoud Mardawi told the AFP news agency.
Portugal expected to recognise Palestine
Among other countries expected imminently to follow the announcement by the UK, Canada and Australia is Portugal.
On Friday, Lisbon’s foreign ministry, said it would formally recognise a Palestinian state this weekend.
Portugal was also among 145 countries which voted for Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, to address the UN General Assembly in New York this week by video, after the United States denied him a visa.
Map of countries that recognise Palestine
The UK followed Australia and Canada in recognising Palestine on Sunday afternoon. This brought the number of UN member states which recognise Palestine to 150, out of 193 in total.
Of the other G7 countries, France has announced its intention to follow suit, while the US, Germany, Italy and Japan have not.
With the support of both the UK and France, Palestine will be recognised by four of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council after China and Russia made the move in 1988.
Numerous countries have recognised Palestine in the past couple of years, prompted by the ongoing war in Gaza. Previously recognition was largely limited to countries in Africa, South America and Asia which have historically been critical of Israel.
Recognition of Palestine is ‘diplomatic disaster’
Yair Lapid, the leader of Israel’s opposition, said the UK, Australian and Canadian recognition of Palestine was a “diplomatic disaster”.
Lapid, who was part of a coalition which briefly ousted Binyamin Netanyahu, said that a functioning government could have prevented the move “with smart and serious work, professional diplomatic dialogue and proper explanation”.
He added: “The government that brought upon us the worst security disaster in our history is now also bringing us the most severe diplomatic crisis ever.
“Unilateral recognition is a diplomatic disaster, a terrible step and a reward for terrorism.”
Still 48 hostages in the terror tunnels, family says
The British family of an Israeli hostage freed from Gaza said they were “upset” and “disappointed” by the announcement.
“It’s about the timing of it. We asked that recognition didn’t come while there are still 48 hostages in the terror tunnels,” Eli Shabari’s brother-in-law, Steve Brisley, from Bridgend in south Wales, told The Times.
“Why now? How will this free the hostages, stop the loss of innocent life on in Gaza and reduce suffering all around? It’s difficult to make any substantial link between today’s recognition of a Palestinian state and any of those things happening,”
Shabari was freed in February, 16 months after his capture on October 7, 2023. On his release, he learnt that his British-Israeli wife, Lianne, and his two daughters, Noiya, 16 and Yahel, 13, had been shot and killed at their family home on Kibbutz Be’eri. Eli’s brother Yossi was also kidnapped and his body is still in Gaza.
‘Step towards correction of historic wrongs’
The Palestinian head of mission to the UK welcomed the government’s decision and extended his “deepest gratitude” to members of parliament.
Husam Zomlot said, “Today is not just about Palestine, but about Britain’s fulfilment of a solemn responsibility. This long overdue recognition marks an end to Britain’s denial of the Palestinian people’s inalienable right to self-determination, freedom and independence in our homeland.
“It marks an irreversible step towards justice, peace, and the correction of historic wrongs, including Britain’s colonial legacy, the Balfour Declaration, and its role in the dispossession of the Palestinian people.”
He added that the recognition must now be followed by action, including comprehensive sanctions, a full arms embargo and “accountability for those responsible for war crimes”.
Farage: This is a reward for Hamas terrorists
Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, disagreed with Starmer’s decision.
Writing on X, he said: “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.”
‘Reckless decision on recognition’
Dame Priti Patel, the shadow foreign secretary, accused Starmer of “capitulating to the hard-left factions of his party” and sending a “dangerous message, where violence and extremism are tolerated and rewarded”.
Patel added: “He lacks all moral authority as his insincere gesture on recognition is all about protecting his own position as leader of the Labour Party rather than securing peace and stability.
“His feeble last-minute attempts to appease the United States are shallow and will never justify his reckless decision on recognition.”
Starmer in delusion, hostage’s mother says
Mandy and Emily Damari
REUTERS
Mandy Damari, whose British-Israeli daughter Emily was held hostage by Hamas for more than 15 months following the October 7 attacks, condemned the recognition.
“Keir Starmer is under a two-state delusion,” she told the BBC. “While one of the states is still run by a proscribed terrorist organisation whose very charter is to annihilate Israel from the river to the sea, a two-state solution can never happen.
“But even if he thinks he is right, he is rewarding Hamas for the October 7 barbaric and savage attack on Israel when the hostages are still not back, the war is not over and Hamas are still in power in Gaza.”
UK should recognise genocide in Gaza, Corbyn says
Earlier in the day Jeremy Corbyn, the MP for Islington North, said on X, “Well done to all those who have tirelessly campaigned for the recognition of Palestine — an inalienable right of the Palestinian people.
“Next, the UK should recognise the genocide in Gaza, end its complicity in crimes against humanity and stop arming Israel.”
Gazans haven’t been forgotten, Khan says
Sir Sadiq Khan
TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER JACK HILL
Before Starmer’s announcement, Sir Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, said he fully supported the decision. “It sends a message to the Israeli government, who have been acting in an outrageous manner for the last few years — we want a two-state solution.”
Khan added that the move would give other countries the confidence to follow suit, before he was asked about the importance of the symbolic move.
“Well, let’s not underestimate the importance of symbolism. I’ve spoken to people who have family in Gaza, and they know what’s happening around the world,” he said. “It’s really important for them to understand they’re not suffering in silence. They’ve not been forgotten about.”
Five killed by Israeli drone strike in Lebanon
Lebanon says that at least five people have been killed by an Israeli drone strike in the south of the country, including three children.
The state-run National News Agency reported that the strike on Sunday, near Bint Jbeil, had targeted a motorcycle.
Israel launches frequent strikes inside Lebanon, saying it is targeting Hezbollah, despite a November ceasefire meant to end more than a year of hostilities.
Sir Ed Davey: Decision is great step forward
The Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey praised the decision, which he announced at his party’s conference in Bournemouth to sustained applause.
Davey said: “Recognising the right of Palestinians to their self-determination has been long overdue. It is a great step forward and something that Liberal Democrats have been campaigning for for almost a decade. But this is not the end of the road.
“The humanitarian catastrophe across Gaza and the West Bank continues to devastate lives — both for the hostages held in Hamas captivity and Palestinians suffering across the occupied territories.”
Moral responsibility to act, Starmer says
In recognising a Palestinian state, Sir Keir Starmer has attempted to manage an increasingly febrile Labour Party and keep Trump onside — but the backlash from the US and Israel is likely to be fierce.
The prime minister has said there was a “moral responsibility to act”, but there is also politics at play.
For a prime minister who has seen his poll ratings collapse and is now the most unpopular political leader in Britain by some margin, the hope is that a clear and unambiguous message on Palestine will help quell the discontent in his own ranks.
Read in full here.
Recognition is ‘necessary step’ to peace, says Abbas
Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, said that Britain’s recognition of a Palestinian state was a necessary step toward lasting peace in the region.
“His Excellency praised the United Kingdom’s recognition of the independent state of Palestine, affirming that it constitutes an important and necessary step toward achieving a just and lasting peace in accordance with international legitimacy,” Abbas’s office said in a statement.
Badenoch: Starmer is appeasing the hard left
Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, said recognition of a Palestinian state was an “absolutely disastrous” move by the prime minister.
She wrote on X: “We will all rue the day this decision was made. Rewarding terrorism with no conditions whatsoever put in place for Hamas.
“It leaves hostages languishing in Gaza and does nothing to stop the suffering of innocent people caught in this war.
“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.”
Badenoch concluded by saying that Starmer “will spend the next four years delivering the hobby horses of the Labour left to stay in power”.
Recognition ‘has done nothing to advance a ceasefire’
The Board of Deputies of British Jews, a body representing the Jewish community across the country, condemned the decision.
Its statement read: “There will be deep dismay at the prime minister’s announcement across the Jewish community and among family members of hostages.
“As we feared and warned, the way the UK has chosen to recognise a Palestinian state has done nothing to advance a ceasefire, free the hostages, stop the suffering of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, or advance long-term peace.
“It may have set those goals back, by reducing pressure on Hamas and enabling them to claim recognition as the ‘fruits’ of its violence and intransigence.
“We will continue to press the government on how it will now use Britain’s diplomatic leverage to bring about the release of the hostages, two of whom have British family; end Hamas’ reign of terror; and meaningfully enhance conditions for peace between Israelis and Palestinians.”
Recognition of Palestinian state ‘absurd’
Netanyahu vows to fight global push for recognition of Palestinian state
Earlier today, a spokeswoman for Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, said he viewed the recognition of a Palestinian state as “absurd”.
Before Sir Keir Starmer’s announcement, Shosh Bedrosian described the planned move as “a manoeuvre that prime minister Netanyahu has called absurd and simply a reward for terrorism”.
She said Hamas did not want a state alongside Israel, “they want a state instead of Israel”. She added: “The people of Israel aren’t going to commit suicide because of the political needs of European politics.”
‘Fruit’ of the October 7 massacre
The Israeli foreign ministry condemned the announcement, saying: “Recognition is nothing but a reward for jihadist Hamas.”
In a post on X it said “Hamas leaders themselves openly admit: this recognition is a direct outcome, the ‘fruit’ for the October 7 massacre.
It added: “Don’t let jihadist ideology dictate your policy.”
Britain ‘has no power to determine region’s future’
Bezalel Smotrich
MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Israel’s finance finister Bezalel Smotrich, an ally of Itamar Ben-Gvir, backed the annexation of the West Bank, adding that Britain had no power to determine the future of the region.
“The days when Britain and other countries determined our future are over, the mandate is finished and the only response to this anti-Israeli move is sovereignty over the Jewish people’s homeland territories in Judea and Samaria, and removing the foolish idea of a Palestinian state from the agenda forever.”
Families of British hostages call for ceasefire
The families of British hostages said they had met ministers numerous times in recent weeks. They said they had “deep concerns” that the timing could delay a ceasefire and be seen as rewarding Hamas, but had presented Starmer with a proposal for more sanctions on Hamas.
In a statement on their behalf, Adam Wagner KC said: “The UK must understand that there can be no peaceful future for either Palestinians or Israelis whilst Hamas, and our hostage relatives, remain in Gaza. If it is truly committed to a peaceful future in the region, the UK must now do everything it can to weaken Hamas.
“It is essential now to work towards a ceasefire. The ongoing violence creates huge risks for the remaining hostages. A diplomatic solution, which the UK says it is working towards, is the most likely way to secure their safe release.”
Call for ‘sovereignty in Judea and Samaria’
Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s far-right national security minister, called for the annexation of the Israeli-occupied West Bank after — and because of — Britain, Canada and Australia’s recognition of a Palestinian state.
“The recognition by Britain, Canada, and Australia of a Palestinian state … requires immediate countermeasures: the swift application of sovereignty in Judea and Samaria and the complete dismantling of the Palestinian Authority,” Ben-Gvir said in a statement, using the Israeli name for the Palestinian territory.
“I intend to submit a proposal for applying sovereignty at the upcoming cabinet meeting.”
Hamas ‘would commit mass murder again and again’
It’s not often I see a story of Hamas celebrating, at least not since the delirious joy that greeted the attack on October 7 when operatives stormed over the border, raped and murdered (Matthew Syed writes).
One can’t help thinking of the words of Umberto Eco’s line in The Prague Cemetery: “People are never so completely and enthusiastically evil as when they act out of religious conviction.”
Afterwards, Hamas leaders helpfully came on to the airwaves to explain that they would commit mass murder again and again, if they had half a chance, not so they could kill some Jews, but all Jews, as proclaimed in their charter.
So why were they so happy a month ago after Starmer gave what was billed as a “significant speech” from the lectern at Downing Street? Well, this was the moment that paved the way for the statement on Sunday for the UK to “recognise” a Palestinian state.
Read in full here.
Hamas ‘can have no role in Palestine’s future’
Yvette Cooper
THOMAS KRYCH/ANADOLU/GETTY IMAGES
Yvette Cooper, the foreign secretary, said the “historic decision” reflects the government’s “unwavering commitment to a two-state solution”.
She added: “We are clear that Hamas can have no role in Palestine’s future — they are a barbaric terrorist organisation who oppose the very idea of two states.
“They must release the hostages and relinquish any hold on Gaza. But Hamas are not the Palestinian people. Recognition is only one part of what must be a stronger and wider push for peace.
“We need to end the conflict in Gaza, secure the release of all hostages and get humanitarian aid to all those who desperately need it.
“That requires not just an immediate ceasefire, but a plan for a durable peace, which will be a key to my diplomatic drive at the UN this week.”
Let the aid surge in, Starmer says
Starmer accused Israel of “cruel tactics” as he issued his fiercest condemnation of the country’s actions in Gaza yet.
“The man-made humanitarian crisis in Gaza reaches new depths,” he said. “The Israeli government’s relentless and increasing bombardment of Gaza, the offensive of recent weeks, the starvation and devastation are utterly intolerable.
“Tens of thousands have been killed, including thousands as they tried to collect food and water … this death and destruction horrifies all of us. It must end.”
Starmer called on the Israeli government “to lift the unacceptable restrictions at the border, stop these cruel tactics, and let the aid surge in”.
Overnight strikes on Gaza City kill more than 30
Further strikes have been carried out on Gaza City
MOHAMMED SABER/EPA
Israeli strikes killed at least 34 people in Gaza City overnight to Sunday, including children, officials from the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry said.
Officials at Al-Shifa hospital said the dead included 14 killed during a strike on a residential block in the south of the city.
Israel launched a new offensive on Gaza City five days ago, forcing thousands of civilians to flee to areas further south.
Two-state solution ‘best hope for peace and security’
Sir Keir Starmer said he was aware of the “strength of feeling” that the conflict has created. He added: “We have seen it on our streets, in our schools, in conversations we’ve had with friends and family.
“It has created division. Some have used it to stoke hatred and fear, but that solves nothing.”
“Not only must we reject hate, we must redouble our efforts to combat hatred in all its forms,” Starmer added. “We must channel our efforts, united together in hope, behind the peaceful future that we want to see: the release of the hostages, an end to the violence, an end to the suffering and a shift back towards a two-state solution as the best hope for peace and security for all sides.”
Recognition is not reward for Hamas, Starmer says
Starmer said the move was “not a reward for Hamas”.
Starmer met Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, earlier this month
TOLGA AKMEN/EPA
He said that he had met British families of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza and saw “the torture they endure each and every day”. He said that Britain would “keep fighting” to bring the hostages home.
“Our call for a genuine two-state solution is the exact opposite of [Hamas’s] hateful vision,” he said, adding that it meant Hamas could have “no future, no role in government, no role in security”.
He said Britain would introduce further sanctions on Hamas figures in the coming weeks
Australia joins Canada and Britain in recognition
Australia also announced its decision to recognise Palestine as part of a joint decision with Canada and the UK.
“Today’s act of recognition reflect Australia’s longstanding commitment to a two-state solution, which has always been the only path to enduring peace and security for the Israeli and Palestinian peoples,” Anthony Albanese, the Australian prime minister, wrote in a letter posted online.
He added: “The terrorist organisation Hamas must have no role in Palestine.”
Canada first G7 nation to recognise Palestine
Canada became the first G7 country to recognise Palestine as a state on Sunday.
Mark Carney, the prime minister, said in a statement posted on X: “Canada recognises the state of Palestine and offers our partnership in building the promise of a peaceful future for both the State of Palestine and the State of Israel.”
Britain recognises Palestinian state
Sir Keir Starmer has confirmed Britain will recognise a Palestinian state.
“Today, to revive the hope of peace for the Palestinians and Israelis, and a two state solution, the United Kingdom formally recognises the State of Palestine,” he said in a video released on social media.
Please enable cookies and other technologies to view this content. You can update your cookies preferences any time using privacy manager.
Enable cookiesAllow cookies once