The United Kingdom announced that it will recognize a Palestinian state in September unless Israel stops the war in Gaza and ends the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding there. 

Decrying the “appalling situation” in Gaza, Prime Minister Starmer said during a press conference that the Palestinian people have endured “terrible suffering. Now, in Gaza, because of a catastrophic failure of aid, we see starving babies, children too weak to stand, images that will stay with us for a lifetime. The suffering must end.”

Mr. Starmer said that the U.K. will recognize a Palestinian state in September “unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza, reaches a cease-fire, makes clear there will be no annexation in the West Bank, and commits to a long-term peace process that delivers a two-state solution.”

Israel has already agreed to the American-backed proposal for a 60-day cease-fire in return for 10 living and 18 dead hostages. Hamas has turned down the offer and continues to add new demands, according to both Israel and Washington.

Prime Minister Netanyahu responded to Mr. Starmer’s announcement, saying he “rewards Hamas’s monstrous terrorism & punishes its victims. A jihadist state on Israel’s border TODAY will threaten Britain TOMORROW. Appeasement towards jihadist terrorists always fails. It will fail you too. It will not happen.”  

An opposition leader, Yair Lapid, meanwhile slammed Mr. Netanyahu, whom he held responsible for the “diplomatic disaster” washing over Israel.

“One failure after another. A prime minister who has vanished from the diplomatic arena, a useless foreign minister, and ministers who endanger IDF soldiers every time they open their mouths,” Mr. Lapid said. 

Mr. Starmer’s announcement was hailed by France, which also vowed to announce support for a Palestinian state at the upcoming UN General Assembly in September. 

“Together, through this momentous decision and our joint efforts, we are ending the infinite cycle of violence and re-opening the prospect of peace in the region,”  the French foreign minister, Jean-Noel Barrot, said. 

The Palestinian Authority president, Mahmoud Abbas, welcomed Mr. Starmer’s move, calling on him “officially recognize the state of Palestine immediately.”

Australia, New Zealand, Portugal, Canada, Finland, San Marino, and Andorra issued a statement saying that they are considering recognizing a Palestinian state “as an essential step toward a two-state solution.”