Britain rejected on Wednesday criticism from Israel that it is rewarding Hamas with plans to recognize a Palestinian state unless Israel takes concrete steps to ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and move towards a peace solution by September. Reuters reports, News.bg reports.
The hunger and suffering in the enclave have shocked the world in recent days, and on Tuesday a hunger monitoring organization warned that a worst-case scenario was unfolding, requiring immediate action to avoid mass deaths.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's proposal, which sets a deadline of September, has drawn sharp reaction from Israel. Jerusalem said the plan punishes Israel and rewards Hamas. The group that carried out the cross-border attack in 2023.
Former US President Donald Trump also expressed disagreement, stressing that recognizing Palestinian statehood would be "a reward for Hamas".
In response to these accusations, British Transport Minister Heidi Alexander stressed that the proposal was not aimed at Hamas, but at the suffering of the Palestinian people.
„This is not a reward for Hamas. Hamas is a vile terrorist organization that has committed appalling atrocities. "It's about those children who are starving in Gaza," she told LBC radio. "We need to increase the pressure on the Israeli government to lift the restrictions so that humanitarian aid can reach Gaza."
Last week, France also announced it would recognise a Palestinian state in September, increasing international pressure on Israel.
British governments have repeatedly said in the past that they would recognise Palestine "at the appropriate time", without specifying a time frame or specific conditions. Now, Starmer said, that time had come.
In a televised address on Tuesday, he stressed that the prospect of a two-state solution was seriously under threat. He said the UK would support recognition of Palestinian statehood at the UN General Assembly in September unless Israel:
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significantly facilitates humanitarian access to Gaza;
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commits to ending the annexation of the West Bank;
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and renews efforts for a long-term peace process based on the two-state solution.