British Prime Minister Keir Starmer issued an ultimatum Tuesday, saying that the United Kingdom will recognize a “state of Palestine” if Israel does not meet certain conditions, including agreeing to a ceasefire and ending the conflict in Gaza.
Starmer threatened to formally recognize “Palestine” at the United Nations General Assembly in September if the conditions were not met.
“We will make an assessment in September on how far the parties have met this step, but no one should have a veto over our decision,” Starmer said. “So this is the way forward.”
My statement on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and our plan for peace including the recognition of a Palestinian State. pic.twitter.com/aMUCNwJb9z
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) July 29, 2025
He laid out several conditions, including ending the “appalling situation in Gaza,” agreeing to a ceasefire, committing to “a long-term sustainable peace,” reviving the prospect of a two-state solution, and not annexing areas in Judea and Samaria, also known as the West Bank.
Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, responded to Starmer’s announcement, pointing out that Israel has agreed several times to ceasefires which are typically rejected by Hamas.
“Israel has already agreed many times to a ceasefire,” Danon said. “No virtual recognition and no UN decision will change the basic fact that there are those who fight extremist forces, and there are those who bow their heads and ignore them.”
He added that Israel will do “everything necessary to bring home the hostages and defeat Hamas.”
Starmer also added that Israel must allow the “U.N. to restart the supply of aid,” although there is a large pile-up of UN aid inside Gaza that is in the process of being distributed.
“Yesterday I discussed this with President Trump and we’re mounting a major effort to get humanitarian supplies back in by air and U.K. aid has been airdropped into Gaza today,” he said.
President Donald Trump reportedly told reporters on Tuesday that Starmer did not discuss recognizing a Palestinian state during their meeting on Monday. Trump added that putting pressure on Israel right now rewards Hamas, according to Axios’s Barak Ravid.
Starmer’s announcement comes after French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France will formally recognize a Palestinian state this September, without conditions.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the United States rejected Macron’s plan, claiming it “only serves Hamas propaganda and sets back peace.”
“It is a slap in the face to the victims of October 7th,” Rubio added.
Netanyahu fired back at Macron, claiming the announcement “rewards terror and risks creating another Iranian proxy, just as Gaza became.”
“A Palestinian state in these conditions would be a launch pad to annihilate Israel — not to live in peace beside it,” Netanyahu added. “Let’s be clear: the Palestinians do not seek a state alongside Israel; they seek a state instead of Israel.”
This week, the United States boycotted a United Nations conference co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia promoting the two-state solution on Monday, calling the event a “publicity stunt” and an “insult.”
“This week, the U.N. will serve as host to an unproductive and ill-timed conference on the two-state solution in New York City,” State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said in a statement. “This is a publicity stunt that comes in the middle of delicate diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.”
France failed to get all conference participants to recognize a Palestinian state during the conference, The Jerusalem Post reported.