Starmer gives Israel a last chance to stop British recognition of Palestine, but the conditions are unacceptable for Netanyahu

After weeks of increasing political and public pressure on Keir Starmer to recognize the Palestinian state, the British Prime Minister made a striking twist on Tuesday. By threatening with recognition of the Palestinian state, he tries to put pressure on Israel to work for a truce and improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Only if the Israeli government “takes substantial measures to put an end to the terrible situation in Gaza, agrees to a ceasefire and commit itself to a long-term, sustainable peace, which reveals the prospect of a two-state solution,” the British recognition of Palestina will start from the table, Starmer announced. This means that the United Nations can resume their assistance undisturbed and that there are no more annexations on the West Bank occupied by Israel.

Formally, with this announcement, Starmer gives the Israeli government a chance to stop the recognition, by making efforts for help to Gaza. But the British Prime Minister knows that his demands are unacceptable to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his ministers. The British recognition of the state of Palestine, a pressure that Starmer can only use once and for which he now considers the time ripe for, seems like a fact. Following the example of France, which announced earlier this week to recognize Palestine at the General Meeting of the United Nations in September, it is expected that the British recognition around that meeting will also take place.

The fact that the Israeli government does not intend to bend British pressure was evident on Tuesday evening the reactions to Starmer’s announcement. Netanyahu wrote In a message on x that starmer “rewards the monstrous terrorism of Hamas.” “A jihadist state on the border of Israel today will pose a threat to Great Britain tomorrow.”

The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs also showed its displeasure in a statement: “The shift in the position of the British government at the moment, after the French step and internal political pressure, is a reward for Hamas and damages the efforts to reach a cease-fire in Gaza and a framework for the release of hostages.”

‘The moment for action’

The formal British position has always been that Downing Street is pursuing a two -state solution and is willing to recognize the Palestinian state as part of a peace process, just like in many European countries, including the Netherlands. Although recognition does not directly enlighten the situation of the Gazans, it does mean recognition of the sovereignty of the Palestinians and makes them a fully -fledged member of the international community.

In recent weeks, the pressure on Starmer has increased to take this step. More than a third of the parliamentarians of Starmer’s own Labor party signed a letter last week in which they say their support for recognition. The Guardian The same week wrote that various ministers tried to move towards immediate recognition.

Now that the two -state solution is under more pressure than ever before, this is the time to take action.

With the announcement that France recognizes the Palestinian state as the first member of the G7, President Emmanuel Macron continued the pressure on Starmer. The British Prime Minister stopped the boat for a few more days, but after a conversation with US President Donald Trump on his Scottish golf course last Monday, the last hurdle seemed to be taken. “I’m not going to take a position; I don’t mind if he takes a position,” said Trump. Striking, because after Macron’s announcement, Trump said that the French recognition would make no difference.

On Tuesday, starmer called the cabinet back from the recess for an emergency meeting. During a meeting of ninety minutes he asked permission to his ministers. “Now that the two -state solution is under more pressure than ever before, this is the time to take action,” said Starmer. In September the British government will evaluate the situation and make a final decision. Starmer also mentioned Hamas: “They must immediately release all hostages, sign a ceasefire, disarm and accept that they will not play a role in the Gaza government.”

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‘Negotiating agent’

Within the Labor party, the announcement of starmer led to great relief-although some people think he has been waiting for far too long. However, the conditions that he attached to recognition immediately came to criticism. Parliamentarians of the Liberal Democrats and the Greens, who previously argued for immediate recognition, have been impossible to use the government recognition of the Palestinian state as a ‘negotiating remedy’.

Others fear that the United Kingdom has lost its chance to influence the Israeli government at a later time. Aaron David Miller, former peace negotiator and researcher at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said to The New York Times That he does not see the benefit of Starmer’s approach. “He has in fact created a situation in which he will not have the maximum influence.” Former ambassador Kim Darroch calls Starmer’s decision in the same article “a message to the Israelis, not to the Palestinians”.

In the coming period, it must show whether the turnaround of the British government leads to one of the desired effects: a change in Israeli policy in Gaza or an increase in popularity among voters, who were angry about the attitude of the British government towards Israel. According to a recent poll Survation Is 49 percent of the British for recognition, 13 percent are against.

A snowball effect seems to be in any case: Australia, Canada and New Zealand, among others, also wrote on Tuesday in a joint statement to consider recognizing the Palestinian state in September.

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