British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to announce the United Kingdom’s recognition of a Palestinian state in a statement on Sunday, part of a wave of 10 Western countries that have committed to taking the step as the UN General Assembly convenes.
In tandem, the British government is also reportedly planning to announce new sanctions on Hamas. The Telegraph newspaper described the penalties on the terror group as an attempt to appease the US, which opposes recognition of Palestine.
The UK’s expected announcement on Sunday is part of a French-led initiative to recognize a State of Palestine. Other prominent allies of Israel, including Canada and Australia, have signed on, over protests from Jerusalem.
On Sunday morning, the British deputy prime minister acknowledged that affording recognition would not mean a Palestinian state would spring up “overnight,” and called for the resumption of peace negotiations.
On Saturday, a group of 16 relatives of Israeli hostages held by Hamas wrote a letter to Starmer urging him to reconsider his decision to recognize a Palestinian state now. The signatories said the step would make it harder to bring their loved ones home.
“Your regrettable announcement of the UK’s intention to recognise a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly has dramatically complicated efforts to bring home our loved ones,” the letter says, according to a copy shared by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum’s British branch.
“Hamas has already celebrated the UK’s decision as a victory and reneged on a ceasefire deal,” the letter continued. “We write to you with a simple plea — do not take this step until our loved ones are home and in our arms.”
The Telegraph report did not detail the Hamas sanctions to be announced by Starmer, though it said the premier would call on the terror group to disarm and would declare that it could play no part in governing Gaza after the war.
The sanctions will follow a decision by the European Union last week to “reinforce” its sanctions on Hamas leaders at the same time as the bloc considers suspending its free-trade agreement with Israel.
In July, Starmer announced that he would recognize a Palestinian state if Israel didn’t heed international calls and take steps toward a ceasefire in Gaza alongside devising a permanent solution for the Strip and allowing the flow of humanitarian aid and goods. Since then, Israel has begun a major offensive in Gaza City, and ceasefire talks have not made progress.
World leaders who have said they would recognize a State of Palestine have described the move as an attempt to shore up hopes for a two-state solution. But David Lammy, the UK deputy prime minister who served as foreign minister until earlier this month, acknowledged in an interview that the impact of recognition will be limited.
“Any decision to recognize a Palestinian state, if that were to take place later on today, does not make a Palestinian state happen overnight,” Lammy said. “That has to be part of a peace process. It has to be based on 1967 borders. It has to be based on a shared capital in Jerusalem. That will be for final status discussions, but it is to keep that process alive.”
Israel has described recognition of a Palestinian state following the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack as a “prize for terror.” It objects to the establishment of a Palestinian state and to any ceding of parts of Jerusalem, which it has declared its undivided capital.
Palestinian statehood and the Gaza war are set to be in the spotlight as a roster of world leaders takes the podium at the UN General Assembly this week. Starmer is set to speak at the UN General Assembly on Friday, four speakers after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
On Tuesday, the first day of speeches, Trump will give the second address. Six speakers later will be the emir of Qatar, which Israel bombed some two weeks ago, targeting Hamas’s leadership. Qatar, a US ally that has mediated talks toward a ceasefire and hostage-release deal in Gaza, castigated the bombing and has given mixed signals on how much focus it will devote to future mediation efforts.