Two-state solution is "noble", Lammy says as Starmer prepares to recognise Palestinian state
Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy has told LBC it is "noble" to want a two-state solution in Gaza as Sir Keir Starmer prepares to recognise a Palestinian state.
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Speaking to LBC's Sunday with Lewis Goodall, Sir Keir's recently-appointed deputy said: "We've been very clear on our position on Hamas, but Hamas is not the Palestinian people, and it's mendacious, frankly, to confuse Hamas with the Palestinian people."
Mr Lammy added: "The desire for two states is a noble desire shared by every right-thinking person in the world. We recognise that recognition will not in of itself bring about two states".
The reaction from Mr Lammy comes as LBC understands that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will recognise Palestinian statehood on Sunday.
The announcement is set to coincide with new sanctions on Hamas.
Read More: At least 14 killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza as UK backs UN plan to recognise Palestinian state
Read More: Starmer set to recognise Palestinian state alongside new sanctions on Hamas
In July, Sir Keir said that the UK would recognise a Palestinian state if the situation in Gaza did not improve.
As part of the announcement, it's thought he'll also reiterate UK demands that Hamas release their remaining Israeli hostages, commit to disarmament and have no part in a post-war Palestinian government.
Canada, Australia, Malta, Belgium, Portugal and Luxembourg have already recognised Palestinian statehood in recent months.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu previously said such a move "rewards terror".
On the current situation unfolding in Gaza, Mr Lammy said: "When I said at the UN at the end of July that we would do this unless we saw a ceasefire, what's happened since then is the Rafah offensive, which will lead to hundreds, maybe thousands of people losing their lives.
"What's happened since then is the (West Bank) expansion and development that's been announced by the (Israeli) government which would run a coach and horses between the north and south of the West Bank and make it very difficult to see how you would ever get to a two-state solution.
"And what's happened since then is more people have continued to die and in the end, the children of Gaza, and indeed the West Bank, deserve a state of their own. And we cannot say that we must have perfect conditions to arrive at that state".
In response to the expected announcement, Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride criticised the government - saying that the recognition was a result of internal party politics.
Mr Stride told LBC News: "I think it's the wrong move. I think it's rewarding terrorism. It's going to do nothing to increase humanitarian aid into Gaza or see the release of the hostages or indeed see us moving towards peace and a two-state solution".
He added: "So as to why the Prime Minister has decided to do this, I think the answer is pressure from within his own cabinet and backbenches. He's rather like a cork on the tide, just being pushed around in that way. And it's a reflection of the unsettled nature, I think, of his premiership at the moment".
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Israel is currently engaged in a ground offensive into Gaza City, which was preceded by aerial bombardment upon targets it says houses Hamas infrastructure.
IDF strikes killed at least 34 people in the enclave overnight, including children, health officials said on Sunday.
Health officials at Shifa Hospital said the dead included 14 people killed in a late-night strike upon the famine-stricken city on Saturday, which hit a residential block in the southern side of the city.
Health staff said a nurse who worked at the hospital was among the dead, along with his wife and three children.
The Israeli military, which says it wants to "destroy Hamas' military infrastructure" and has urged Palestinians to leave, hasn't given a timeline for the offensive, but there were indications it could take months.
According to Gaza's Health Ministry, the death toll in the enclave has climbed above 65,100 since October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led terrorists stormed into southern Israel and killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians.
Their figures are regarded as reliable by the U.N. and many independent experts.
Over 250 people were also taken hostage, on October 7, 48 remain in Gaza with fewer than half believed to be alive.