Starmer to recognise Palestinian statehood this weekend
Sir Keir Starmer will recognise a Palestinian state over the weekend after Donald Trump concludes his state visit to the UK, reports have suggested.
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The Prime Minister has previously said he plans to recognise Palestinian statehood ahead of the United Nations general assembly in New York this month, if Israel does not meet a series of conditions to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
High-level meetings at the UN summit involving world leaders begin next week.
Sir Keir has held off on formally announcing the UK will recognise a Palestinian state until after Mr Trump leaves for fear it could dominate a Thursday news conference the two men plan to hold.
The Prime Minister has found himself at odds with the US administration over the move, which is opposed to official recognition of Palestine.
However other nations, including France, Australia and Canada, have said they plan to take the same step at the UN gathering.
Read more: Two Labour MPs ‘denied entry’ to Israel during West Bank visit
Read more: UN Commission says Israel is committing genocide in Gaza
Elsewhere, Sir Sadiq Khan has for the first time described the situation in Gaza as a "genocide", in the latest domestic political intervention in the crisis in the Middle East by a senior Labour figure.
The Mayor of London told an audience at a people’s question time event: "I think what’s happening in Gaza is a genocide.
"When I see the images of the children starving, 20,000 children have starved because of the policies of the Israeli government, when I see the health system in Gaza collapsed, when I see the lack of supplies reaching people in need, when I see the famine that is man made, when I read the interim judgment of the ICJ, and then see a UN commission report this week, I think it’s inescapable to draw the conclusion in Gaza we are seeing before our very eyes a genocide."
On Tuesday, a UN commission said it had reasonable grounds to conclude Israel is committing a genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza.
Sir Sadiq’s comments could prove a thorn in the side for the Prime Minister ahead of his meeting with Mr Trump on Thursday and the planned press conference.
The US president is no fan of London’s Mayor, and the pair have engaged in a long-running spat.
The Prime Minister announced he would recognise Palestine’s statehood in July, after mounting pressure from Labour MPs over the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza.
But Sir Keir suggested British recognition was conditional, and he would refrain if Israel committed to a ceasefire, a two-state solution to peace, and halted annexation of the West Bank.
All three conditions are however unlikely to be met, given the Israeli government opposes these terms.
Israel launched the military campaign in Gaza after the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, in which 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage.
Israeli forces are currently undertaking a major ground offensive in Gaza, with thousands forced to flee from Gaza City in recent days.
Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday the only way to end the conflict in Gaza is through the elimination of Hamas and the release of the remaining 48 hostages - with around 20 believed to be alive - setting aside calls for an interim ceasefire in favour of an immediate end to the conflict.