Britain will recognize a Palestinian state in September if Israel does not end its military campaign in the Gaza Strip, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said today at an international UN conference on the Palestinian issue, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
Britain will recognize the state of Palestine if the Israeli government does not take serious steps to end the "terrible situation" in Gaza, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said today at a meeting of his government.
The Prime Minister stressed that "Great Britain will recognize the State of Palestine in September, before the UN General Assembly, if the Israeli government does not take serious steps to end the terrible situation in Gaza, if a ceasefire is not reached and if it does not state clearly that there will be no annexation of the West Bank. Israel should commit to a long-term peace process that leads to a two-state solution", the British government said in a statement.
The Prime Minister "stressed that there can be no equal treatment between Israel and "Hamas" and that our demands regarding "Hamas" remain - the hostages must be released, "Hamas" must agree to a ceasefire and accept that it will not play a role in governing Gaza, and also disarm".
Amid warnings that people in the Gaza Strip face starvation, more and more MPs from Starmer's Labour Party are demanding that the prime minister recognize a Palestinian state in order to put pressure on Israel, Reuters notes.
Following the statements from the British side, France welcomed the prospect of Britain recognizing a Palestinian state. The French Foreign Ministry said that together Paris and London could contribute to peace in the Middle East, Agence France-Presse reported.
The agency recalls that a few days ago French President Emmanuel Macron said that Paris would recognize Palestine in September.