Starmer's recognition of Palestine is a counterproductive, self-serving mistake, writes Liam Fox

That view has been supported by events, with Palestinian recognition barely shifting the dial in the Middle East- except to entrench the ambitions of far-right Israeli ministers to annex the West Bank - their outsized voice a consequence of Israel’s electoral system. Indeed, as a reaction to the Prime Minister’s decision, some Israeli politicians made clear that, in their view, “there will never be a Palestinian state”.

This move is therefore counterproductive and has done little good for the people in Gaza and the West Bank. How disappointing that such a short-sighted decision has been taken for the electoral interests of the Labour Party, not the desperate and struggling population of Palestine.

To be supportive of a two-state solution is to be supportive of both Palestine and Israel.

A Palestinian state is only viable without Hamas and other terrorist groups having any control in the region, with a PA that renounces violence and recognises Israel with the aim of friendly relations. Israel can only be secure if it is surrounded by neighbours who recognise its right to exist and have no plans or means to destroy it.

The Abraham Accords demonstrated that this vision is possible. That the hope of peace and coexistence is not naive nor misguided. Bahrain, Morocco, and the United Arab Emirates established diplomatic ties to Israel in 2020 which have been sustained throughout the Gaza war despite domestic pressure, thanks to the strategic patience of the signatory governments.

It is this framework that the government should use to pursue the noble endeavour of regional peace. The Abraham Accords are the best path to peace in the region, and the government should actively engage potential signatories to continue this process of peaceful coexistence.

Those potential new signatories - including but not limited to Azerbaijan, Syria, and Saudi Arabia - would convince Israel that it is no longer isolated in the region and that its integration is accepted and welcomed.

The government has made an error in recognising a Palestinian state at this moment - with Hamas still in control of Gaza and in the absence of a proper process involving Israel and the United States. They should support the expansion of the Abraham Accords as a strategic priority in the region, for the good of all people in the Middle East.

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Rt. Hon. Sir Liam Fox is Chair of the UK Abraham Accords Group and former Secretary of State for International Trade (2016-19) and Defence (2010-11).

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