LONDON — The UK is expected to recognise a Palestinian state later Sunday despite opposition from the US, after judging that Israel has not met conditions it set over the war in Gaza.
Though the anticipated move is largely symbolic, the UK hopes that it could increase diplomatic pressure for an end to the conflict in Gaza as well as help pave the way for a long-lasting peace based on two states living side-by-side.
Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy, who was foreign secretary until earlier this month, said an announcement on the recognition of a Palestinian state will come later Sunday from Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
“Any decision to recognise a Palestinian state, if that were to take place later on today, does not make a Palestinian state happen overnight,” he told Sky News.
He suggested that recognition would help keep the prospect of a two-state solution alive, and stressed that identifying the Palestinian people with Hamas was a false narrative, AP reported.
Road map to recognition
In July, in the wake of intense pressure within his governing Labour Party, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the U.K. would recognize a Palestinian state unless Israel agreed to a ceasefire in Gaza, allowed the U.N. to bring in aid and took other steps toward long-term peace.
The anticipated move comes ahead of the UN General Assembly this week, where other nations, including Australia, Canada and France, are also readying to recognise a Palestinian state. Portugal is expected to do so later Sunday.
More than 140 countries have already taken the step to recognize a Palestinian state, but the decisions by France and Britain are significant as they are both members of the Group of Seven and the U.N. Security Council.
