Will Starmer's Plan To Recognise Palestine As A State Actually Make A Difference?

On Tuesday, Keir Starmer announced his plan to recognise Palestine as a state in September in a major policy shift.Keir Starmer announced on Tuesday that the UK would be recognisingPalestinian statehood in September – unless Israel takes action.But just how significant was this moment? And how have Britain’s allies reacted? Here’s what you need to know.What’s just happened?Starmer has announced that he intends to formally recognise Palestine as a state in September, before the UN’s General Assembly.But the prime minister said he would not go ahead with his plan if the Israeli government met certain conditions, including taking “substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza”. He also called for Israel to reach a ceasefire, make sure there’s no annexation in the West Bank and commit to a long-term peace process with a two-state solution.A two-state solution would mean an independent Palestinian state could exist alongside the state of Israel, giving both populations their own territory.He said neither party will get a veto over whether or not he goes ahead with the final decision in eight weeks’ time.Starmer also said it is part of an “eight-part plan” already discussed with France and Germany.The prime minister also reiterated his pre-existing demands for Hamas, including agreeing to a ceasefire, release all remaining hostages, accepting they will not play a role in the government of Gaza and full disarmament.What does it mean to recognise Palestine as a state?Out of 193 United Nations member states, 147 already recognise Palestine as a state around the world including more than a dozen in Europe.However, France, China and Russia are the only other permanent members of the UN Security Council to already take this diplomatic step.According to the Montevideo Convention of 1933, to be recognised as a state Palestine needs to have a permanent population, a defined territory, an effective government and international relations and formal diplomatic processes.Gaza is currently run by the militant group Hamas – although Starmer has made it clear they would not have a say in the future governing of Palestine – and there are likely to be debates about what borders would define the territory.But, it is a more symbolic move than anything else. It lends legitimacy to Palestinians’ right to hold onto their land in Gaza, annexed east Jerusalem and the West Bank and undermines Israel’s ongoing push to remove Palestinians from the region.Palestinians have been pushing for an independent state since Israel’s occupation in the 1967 Six-Day war.Israel has refused to give into this demand, claiming it would reward the Hamas militants who killed 1,200 people on Israeli soil on October 7, 2023 and took a further 250 others hostage. It still holds 50, but 20 of whom are believed to still be alive.Palestinians inspect the site struck by an Israeli bombardment in Muwasi, Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Monday, July 28, 2025.Why has the UK government only acted now?Israel declared war on Hamas and imposed a blockade of all aid going into Gaza after the October 7 massacre – 22 months ago.More than 60,000 Palestinians are estimated to have been killed in that time, according to the local Hamas-run health ministry.But pressure for Starmer to formally recognise Palestine as a state reached new heights in recent weeks amid rising concerns of mass starvation in Gaza.More than 250 MPs, including plenty of those in Labour, signed a letter calling on him to commit to Palestinian statehood in recent weeks.Up to seven cabinet ministers reportedly joined those calls, too.Starmer’s close ally Emmanuel Macron also announced his own plan for France to recognise Palestine last week – becoming the first G7 country to do so.Starmer initially refused, saying it had to be part of a wider plan for peace.But, after his declaration on Tuesday, the prime minister has denied this new decision is a U-turn to appease angry MPs.He instead said Labour has always intended to recognise Palestine – a policy which did feature in their 2024 manifesto – and claimed it was clear a pathway to a two-state solution was getting further away, not closer.Why has there been some backlash?Israel, unsurprisingly, slammed the announcement.Its foreign ministry said: “The shift in the British government’s position at this time, following the French move and internal political pressures, constitutes a reward for Hamas and harms efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and a framework for the release of hostages.”Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “Starmer 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.”Emily Damari, a British-Israeli who was held hostage by Hamas for more than 15 months until her January release, also condemned Starmer for the move.She wrote on Instagram: “Prime Minister Starmer is not standing on the right side of history. Had he been in power during World War II, would he have advocated recognition for Nazi control of occupied countries like Holland, France or Poland?“This is not diplomacy – it is a moral failure. Shame on you, prime minister.”However, transport secretary Heidi Alexander told Times Radio the decision was not at all about appeasing Hamas.″Not at all. This isn’t about Hamas,” she said. “This is about the Palestinian people. It’s been the longstanding position of my party and indeed this government when we came to power last year that we would recognise the state of Palestine at a point in time when it would have maximum impact.”She also said the timing gives Israel eight weeks to respond.Is it too little, too late?Emily Thornberry, Labour MP and foreign affairs committee chair, previously said the UK has consistently acted “too little too late” when it came to protecting Palestinians in the Middle East. But, she still welcomed the recognition announcement on Tuesday night, calling it a “historic moment and great news”.Liberal Democrat Ed Davey also said it was a “crucial step”, but called for Starmer to “recognise Palestine right away” rather than using it as a bargaining chip.The Tories’ Ben Obese-Jecty called it “pure virtue signalling”, while the Greens’ Ellie Chowns said the conditions Starmer set out should not be used “as an alternative to recognising Palestinian statehood”.Still, the actual impact of the UK’s decision remains to be seen.The UK is not as powerful as it was in 1917 when then British foreign secretary Arthur Balfour was instrumental in recognising a Jewish state in Palestine.Britain is still a friend of Israel’s, but the US is its most powerful ally now – and the States are not quite on the same page yet.However, there is a domino impact which could prove fruitful, seeing as the UK is such a good friend of the States.Donald Trump even acknowledged there was “starvation” in Gaza for the first time during a visit to the UK this week, in a major split with Israel.But Palestinian statehood could still be step too far.While the US president told reporters on Monday that Starmer was free to recognise Palestinian statehood, Tammy Bruce from the US state department called it a “slap in the face” for the victims of the October 7 acttack.“It gives one group hope, and that’s Hamas,” Bruce told a briefing. “It is a rewarding of that kind of behaviour that if you wait long enough, if you don’t co-operate in any other normal environment where someone was so utterly defeated, they would surrender.”Only time will say if Starmer’s decision proved to be a pivotal moment in the painful, and divisive, conflict.Related...Brits Are Increasingly In Favour Of Palestine Statehood. Here Are The Numbers To Prove It.All Eyes On Starmer After Macron Confirms France Will Recognise Palestine StateLabour Peer 'Deeply Ashamed' At Government's Decision To Ban Palestine Action

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