UK plans to recognise Palestinian state in September

Britain will recognise a Palestinian state in September unless Israel ends the 'appalling' crisis in Gaza , Sir Keir Starmer told his Cabinet today. The Prime Minister hosted an urgent Cabinet meeting this afternoon as he seeks to set out a pathway to peace following a helpful intervention yesterday by Donald Trump . Sir Keir told the meeting of his top ministers on Tuesday that the UK will recognise the state of Palestine in September before the UN General Assembly in New York.

This is 'unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza', the PM added. Sir Keir said this included Israel reaching a ceasefire, making clear there will be no annexation in the West Bank, and committing to a long-term peace process that delivers a two-state solution. The PM said now was 'the right time' to move towards recognition of a Palestinian state due to the 'increasingly intolerable situation in Gaza'. Sir Keir 'reiterated that there is no equivalence between Israel and Hamas and that our demands on Hamas remain', Downing Street said.

This includes the terror group releasing all remaining hostages, signing up to a ceasefire, accepting they will play no role in the government of Gaza, and disarming. The PM's move follows his meeting with Mr Trump in Scotland on Monday, while Sir Keir also spoke to the leaders of France and Germany over the weekend. The US President appeared to shift his stance by publicly criticising Israel. He said that reports and images of starvation in Gaza were 'real' despite Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu 's insistence that there was none.

Sir Keir shared plans he is working on with France and Germany to 'bring about a lasting peace' with Mr Trump. The PM had been under increasing pressure, including from Cabinet ministers, to move towards recognising a Palestinian state, despite critics saying it would reward Hamas for its October 7 attack on Israel. Asked what would come out of today's Cabinet meeting, Technology Secretary Peter Kyle told LBC this morning Labour ' went into the last election with a manifesto commitment to statehood for Palestine'. 'We've always said that this needs to be part of a process. It needs to be meaningful. And I think that we also see the crisis in front of us that is so unprecedented and it is so horrific, it's reached terrible levels of deprivation in Gaza,' he added.

Trump has said he is 'working together' with Israel 'to try and get things straightened out' in Gaza amid warnings of severe mass starvation in the enclave. After opening his new golf course in Menie, Aberdeenshire, today a reporter from the crowd asked the US president 'what will you say next to Benjamin Netanyahu', the prime minister of Israel. 'We're working together to try and get things straightened out,' Mr Trump said. Earlier during his speech at the course, the US leader said he would fly back to the Washington to 'put out fires all over the world'.

Amid international alarm over starvation in Gaza, Israel announced at the weekend that it would suspend fighting in three areas for 10 hours a day and open secure routes for aid delivery. The UK confirmed it was taking part in airdrops of aid into the territory. The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: 'This week, the Prime Minister is focused on a pathway to peace to ensure immediate relief for those on the ground, and a sustainable route to a two-state solution.

'We are clear that the recognition of the Palestinian state is a matter of when, not if, but it must be one of the steps on the path to a two-state solution as part of a wider plan that delivers lasting security for both Palestinians and Israelis.' Aid agencies have welcomed the new measures but said they were not enough to counter the rising hunger in the Palestinian territory. Sir Keir said that the British public is 'revolted' at the scenes of desperation in Gaza as he appeared alongside Mr Trump at his Turnberry golf course on Monday.

'It's a humanitarian crisis, it's an absolute catastrophe. 'Nobody wants to see that. I think people in Britain are revolted at seeing what they're seeing on their screens, so we've got to get to that ceasefire.' The US president hinted at sticking points in US-led negotiations over a peace deal, saying Palestinian militant group Hamas had become 'very difficult to deal with' in recent weeks. He suggested this was because they only held a small remaining number of Israeli hostages.

Sir Keir has likened the plan he is working on with France and Germany to the coalition of the willing, the international effort to support Ukraine towards a lasting peace. The Prime Minister's official spokesman said the plan would build 'on the collaboration to date that paves the way to a long-term solution on security in the region'. Sir Keir is meanwhile facing calls from a growing number of MPs to recognise a Palestinian state immediately.

More than 250 cross-party MPs have now signed a letter calling for ministers to take the step, up from 221 on Friday. Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds on Monday dismissed the idea that there is a split at the top of Government over when to recognise a Palestinian state, saying 'we all want it to happen'. Health Secretary Wes Streeting is among those to have signalled a desire for hastened action, calling for recognition 'while there's still a state of Palestine left to recognise', while Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the Government wants to recognise a Palestinian state 'in contribution to a peace process'.