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United Kingdom (U.K.) Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to announce Britain's recognition of a Palestinian state on Sunday afternoon, marking a significant shift in British foreign policy after Israel failed to meet conditions, including agreeing to a Gaza ceasefire and committing to a two-state solution.
The move, which government sources say comes as the situation in Gaza has "worsened significantly," will align Britain with 147 of 193 United Nations member states that already recognize Palestine ahead of Monday's U.N. General Assembly meeting in New York.
About three-quarters of U.N. members already recognize Palestine, though it has no agreed borders, no army, and no complete control over its land due to Israeli occupation.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the anticipated announcement, saying the recognition "rewards Hamas's monstrous terrorism and punishes its victims."
The Israeli foreign ministry has furiously rejected Starmer's position.
Starmer had set a September deadline in July for Israel to take "substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza," agree to a ceasefire, commit to long-term peace, allow UN aid delivery, and not annex the West Bank.
"With that solution now under threat, this is the moment to act," Starmer said in July, adding that recognition would come "at the moment of maximum impact for the two-state solution."
France, Canada, and Australia have indicated they will join Britain in recognizing Palestine at the U.N. gathering, while Spain, Ireland and Norway took the step last year.
Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Varsen Aghabekian Shahin told Sky News on Saturday that Britain's move was "better late than never" and called it "a courageous step at a very difficult time."
"Britain, with its weight, can influence other countries to come forward and recognize, because that is the right thing to do," Aghabekian said.
She rejected claims that recognition rewards terrorism, saying "non-recognition" would also be a "reward to the extremists."
Government sources speaking to the BBC cited starvation and violence in Gaza, which Starmer has described as "intolerable," as key factors in the decision.
Israel's latest ground operation to occupy Gaza City, described by a U.N. official as "cataclysmic," has forced hundreds of thousands to flee.
A UN commission of inquiry concluded earlier this week that Israel had committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, which Israel denounced as "distorted and false."
At least 64,964 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Justice Secretary David Lammy, who served as foreign secretary when the recognition path was announced, cited continued expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank as a key factor.
"The recognition of a Palestinian state is as a consequence of the serious expansion that we're seeing in the West Bank, the settler violence that we're seeing in the West Bank," Lammy said, specifically mentioning the controversial E1 settlement project that critics say would end hopes for a viable Palestinian state.
During a joint news conference with Starmer at Chequers on Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump said he disagreed with the recognition.
American politicians have urged Britain and other allies to reverse their stance.
"I disagree with the Prime Minister (Starmer) on this issue; in fact, it is one of our few differences of opinion," Trump said.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, writing in The Telegraph, said recognition "at this time and without the release of the hostages, would be a reward for terrorism."
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed Britain's recognition pledge during a recent visit with Starmer.
Both leaders reportedly agreed Hamas would have no role in future Palestinian governance.
Aghabekian confirmed Abbas "has given guarantees in letters to various leaders around the globe that said Hamas will not be part of the governance of the Gaza Strip."
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