The UK will recognise Palestinian statehood in September ahead of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Keir Starmer now says – before listing some conditions for this to happen.
According to a written handout of the cabinet meeting he held earlier, Starmer said this would happen “unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza, reaches a ceasefire, makes clear there will be no annexation in the West Bank, and commits to a long-term peace process that delivers a two-state solution”.
He also reiterated that there is no equivalence between Israel and Hamas and that the UK’s demands on Hamas remain – that they must release all the hostages, sign up to a ceasefire, accept that they will play no role in the government of Gaza, and disarm.
Starmer committed to make an assessment ahead of UNGA on how far the parties have met these steps before making a final decision, ensuring that no one side will have a veto, the statement says.
