UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to present a plan to recognize the State of Palestine this week, The Times reported.
The publication attributes the prime minister's move to growing pressure from the ruling Labour Party, which Starmer leads. According to the article, seven cabinet members are pressuring the prime minister to recognize a Palestinian state, thus fulfilling a promise that, although without specifying a time frame, is contained in the Labour Party's election manifesto. With it, it returned to power in July 2024 after winning the general election. The Times notes that about 130 MPs from the ruling party, almost a third of the faction in the House of Commons, are demanding recognition of Palestine.
The newspaper quoted a statement from Starmer's spokesman, who said that "the prime minister will present the plan to allies, including the United States and Arab states, in the coming days", recognizing "the inalienable right of the Palestinians to create their own state".
On July 28, the UK's Business and Trade Minister Jonathan Reynolds said on Sky News that London would recognize a Palestinian state by 2029, that is, until the end of the current parliament's term.
On July 24, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that Paris would recognize the state of Palestine at the UN General Assembly session in September. In response, Israel said that such a move by the French authorities would be a "capitulation to terrorism, as well as a reward and support for the murderers and rapists of Hamas."