Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched a furious attack on his British counterpart Keir Starmer on Tuesday after the UK government vowed to recognise Palestinian statehood in September unless Israel agrees to a ceasefire and commits to peace.
“Starmer rewards Hamas’s monstrous terrorism & punishes its victims,” Netanyahu said in a post on X, warning that “a jihadist state on Israel’s border TODAY will threaten Britain TOMORROW.”
The Israeli leader accused Starmer of appeasement, declaring: “Appeasement towards jihadist terrorists always fails. It will fail you too. It will not happen.”
The broadside came after Starmer recalled Cabinet ministers from their summer holidays for an emergency meeting and made a conditional pledge to recognise a Palestinian state ahead of September’s United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Mounting Pressure Forces Policy Shift
The British prime minister told his Cabinet on Tuesday that “now was the right time to move this position forward” because of the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza and the diminishing prospects of a peace process.
Starmer promised that the UK would recognise a Palestinian state in September unless the Israeli government took “substantive steps” to end the crisis in Gaza and committed to a long-term peace process that delivers a two-state solution.
The move marks a significant shift in British policy in the Middle East and comes after intensive lobbying by MPs in Starmer’s governing Labour Party, with more than 250 cross-party MPs signing a letter demanding immediate recognition.
Labour MP Sarah Champion, who organised the letter, said there would never be a perfect moment to recognise Palestinian statehood but warned this might be the last chance: “It is now or never if we believe in Palestinians’ right to recognition.”
Conditions for Israeli Government
Starmer set out specific conditions Israel must meet to avoid UK recognition of Palestine, including allowing more aid into Gaza, stopping annexation of West Bank land, agreeing to a ceasefire and signing up to a long-term peace process.
I have always said that we will recognise a Palestinian state as a contribution to a proper peace process at the moment of maximum impact for the two-state solution,” Starmer said in a televised statement from Downing Street.
With that solution now under threat, this is the moment to act,” he added, confirming the UK would recognise Palestine at the UN General Assembly “unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps.
Starmer also repeated demands that Hamas must release all remaining hostages taken in the deadly 7 October 2023 attacks on Israel, disarm and accept they will have no role in the government of Gaza.
Phone Call Before Announcement
Starmer spoke to Netanyahu ahead of the UK Cabinet meeting on Tuesday afternoon, according to Downing Street, informing him of the plan before making it public.
According to a Number 10 readout of the call, Starmer told the Israeli PM that the UK “remains unequivocal” in its condemnation of Hamas “terrorist atrocities.
But he urged Netanyahu “to take immediate action to lift all restrictions on aid access and get those suffering in Gaza the food they need.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry later issued a statement rejecting the British position, claiming it “constitutes a reward for Hamas and harms efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and a framework for the release of hostages.
French Pressure Influences Decision
The UK announcement follows closely behind French President Emmanuel Macron’s commitment to recognise Palestine at September’s UN meetings, putting pressure on Britain to follow suit.
If both countries follow through, the United States will be the only permanent member of the UN Security Council that does not recognise a Palestinian state, with more than 140 countries already doing so.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy, speaking at the United Nations in New York, insisted aid must flow unrestricted via land routes, stating: “We have to have those trucks get in.
He reiterated Starmer’s position, warning that the two-state solution was in peril and vowing that the UK would commit to protecting its viability: “There is no contradiction between support for Israel’s security and support for Palestinian statehood.
International Reaction
France commended Starmer’s announcement, with Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot saying the UK “joins today in the momentum created by France for the recognition of the State of Palestine.”
Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry also lauded the move, as did Palestinian Authority Vice President Hussein Al Sheikh, who said it demonstrates a “commitment to international law and legitimacy.”
Jordan expressed its “appreciation” for Starmer’s decision, calling it “a step in the right direction toward materialising the two-state solution,” according to the country’s foreign ministry spokesperson.
However, US President Donald Trump, who met Starmer in Scotland on Monday, said he sees the UK’s decision as “rewarding Hamas,” adding that the US has no plans to follow suit.
Cabinet Split and Party Pressure
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds dismissed suggestions of a Cabinet split over Palestinian recognition, saying “every Labour MP was elected on a manifesto committed to the recognition of a Palestinian state.”
However, Health Secretary Wes Streeting had called for recognition “while there’s still a state of Palestine left to recognise,” whilst Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the Government wants recognition “in contribution to a peace process.
The pressure had been building for weeks, with nearly 60 Labour MPs urging Foreign Secretary David Lammy to act in a private letter earlier in July, before the cross-party letter signed by 255 MPs was published.
Opposition Response
Opposition parties have offered mixed reactions, with Liberal Democrats, Greens and Plaid Cymru criticising Starmer for using Palestinian statehood as a “bargaining chip.
Conservative shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel said recognising Palestine “will not secure lasting peace,” whilst Liberal Democrat Leader Sir Ed Davey said “the UK should be leading on this, not falling behind.
Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer described recognition as the “bare minimum” the UK could do, calling for additional measures including “a full arms embargo, widespread sanctions, a ban on the import of settlement goods.
Previous Tensions
Netanyahu has previously clashed with Starmer over sanctions aimed at Israeli ministers and attacked a “shameful” decision by the UK last year to suspend the sale of some arms components used by Israeli forces in Gaza.
The Israeli leader’s fierce response reflects his government’s rejection of the two-state solution on both nationalistic and security grounds, making it highly unlikely Israel will meet the UK’s conditions.
Starmer made a flurry of diplomatic phone calls throughout Tuesday, including to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, and King Abdullah II of Jordan.
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Image Credit:
Benjamin Netanyahu, January 2024 – Photo by Avi Ohayon, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
