The UK has formally recognised Palestine as an independent state, Keir Starmer has said, in a deeply symbolic announcement that the government hopes will show its commitment to peace in the region and ease domestic political tensions.
In a sign of the global concern over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Canada and Australia also made their own formal declarations recognising Palestine on Sunday ahead of a conference of the UN general assembly in New York.
The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, immediately condemned the announcement – which the UK sees as a lever to push for a lasting settlement to end the illegal occupation of Palestine – calling it “absurd” and “a reward for terrorism”.
However, Starmer insisted that the government’s decision was not a reward for Hamas: he said the terrorist group’s senior figures would face further UK sanctions in coming weeks, and the group would play no part in a future reformed and elected Palestinian government. All remaining Israeli hostages must be released, Starmer added.
Downing Street believes that recognition will help to counter some of the criticism it has faced at home, including from in the cabinet and among Labour MPs, over its response to the Gaza crisis, ahead of what is expected to be a politically fraught annual conference.
In a video message to the nation, Starmer said: “The hope of a two-state solution is fading but we cannot let that light go out … Today, to revive the hope of peace and a two-state solution, I state clearly, as prime minister of this great country, that the UK formally recognises the state of Palestine.
“In the face of the growing horrors in the Middle East we are acting to keep alive the possibility of peace and a two-state solution. That means a safe and secure Israel, alongside a viable Palestinian state. At the moment we have neither.”
In an attempt to deal with criticisms of the announcement from the US and Israel, he said: “Let’s be frank, Hamas is a brutal terror organisation. Our call for a genuine two-state solution is the exact opposite of their hateful vision. So we are clear, this solution is not a reward for Hamas, because it means Hamas can have no future, no role in government, no role in security.”
But he concluded: “The man-made humanitarian crisis in Gaza reaches new depths. The Israeli government’s relentless and increasing bombardment of Gaza, the offensive of recent weeks, the starvation and devastation are utterly intolerable. Tens of thousands have been killed, including thousands as they tried to collect food and water. This death and destruction horrifies all of us. It must end.”
The UK is to recognise a Palestinian state based provisionally on 1967 borders, before Israel occupied the Gaza Strip and West Bank. It will also pave the way for full diplomatic relations, with the Palestinian head of mission, Husam Zomlot, likely to be upgraded to full ambassadorial status.
Zomlot said: “It marks an irreversible step towards justice, peace and the correction of historic wrongs, including Britain’s colonial legacy, the Balfour Declaration and its role in the dispossession of the Palestinian people.”
Starmer first announced in July that the UK would recognise Palestine by the time of the UN general assembly, which begins next week, unless Israel abided by a ceasefire and committed to a two-state solution. The prime minister spoke to Netanyahu before the announcement.
More than 150 countries, including France, which has led the western response, are expected to have recognised Palestine by the end of next week, although some may set conditions. The United States, now in effect opposed to a two-state solution, has rejected the UK move.
Australia’s prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said: “Further steps, including the establishment of diplomatic relations and the opening of embassies will be considered as the Palestinian Authority makes further progress on commitments to reform.”
The Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, said: “Recognising the state of Palestine, led by the Palestinian Authority, empowers those who seek peaceful coexistence and the end of Hamas. This in no way legitimises terrorism, nor is it any reward for it.”
The move comes seven decades after the end of the British mandate in Palestine and the formation of the state of Israel, as the death toll from the war on Gaza continues to rise and conditions for the people trapped there become even more desperate.
While the announcement is not being portrayed as a punishment of Israel, it is unlikely the step would have been taken if Netanyahu had conducted the military campaign in Gaza with less ferocity and greater regard for international law.
Israel’s foreign ministry said it rejected what it called the “one-sided” recognition of a Palestinian state by Britain, Canada and Australia, warning that recognition could further destabilise the region.
“Israel categorically rejects the one-sided declaration of the recognition of a Palestinian state made by the United Kingdom and some other countries,” the foreign ministry said in a statement. “This declaration does not promote peace, but on the contrary further destabilises the region and undermines the chances of achieving a peaceful solution in the future.”
A spokesperson for Netanyahu added that the Israeli prime minister’s message to nations recognising Palestine was that “the people of Israel aren’t going to commit suicide because of the political needs of European politics”.
The deputy prime minister, David Lammy, who will represent the UK at the UN gathering, acknowledged that there would be little immediate change from recognition. “It’s not to say as night follows day, you recognise one day and a Palestinian state appears the next,” he told Sky News.
Lammy, who was foreign secretary when the recognition timetable was agreed, said much of the idea was “wrapped up in hope”.
“Will this feed children? No, it won’t, that’s down to humanitarian aid. Will this free hostages? That must be down to a ceasefire,” he told the BBC. “What do we say to the children of a future Palestinian state? Do we say we have to wait for the perfect conditions before we can recognise a Palestinian state?”
Starmer had come under pressure from Labour MPs, including about third of his cabinet, to recognise Palestine, because of the moral imperative but also amid concerns that the party would lose votes to the left and pro-Gaza independents over the issue.
One cabinet minister told the Guardian: “Symbols matter. The Labour government has placed itself on the right side of history. Everyone knows that recognition alone won’t change the lives of Palestinians, but it is a timely and necessary riposte to an authoritarian Israeli government that has increasingly made Israel a pariah state.
“There now needs to be a serious effort to kickstart a peace process and change facts on the ground – or at least to prevent Israel from killing the two-state solution with further West Bank annexations.”
