UK Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer asked Prime Minister Boris Johnson to press for “renewed international agreement to finally recognize the State of Palestine” at the G7 summit in Cornwall this weekend.
During Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Starmer asked as the final question if Johnson supported establishing a state for the Palestinian Arabs alongside a “safe and secure Israel,” reported the Jewish Chronicle.
He further called on Johnson to use the G7 summit to demand a freeze on building in communities in Judea and Samaria.
“For too many people in Palestine, the promise of an end to the occupation and a recognized sovereign Palestinian state feels more distant than ever,” said Starmer. “Will the Prime Minister take the opportunity this weekend to press for renewed international agreement to finally recognize the State of Palestine, alongside a safe and secure Israel, to stop the expansion of illegal settlements and to get a meaningful peace process back up and running?”
Johnson replied by stating the government’s position supporting a two-state solution.
“It's been a long-standing objective of this government, and I think it’s common ground across this House, that the solution for the Middle East peace process is a two-state solution and we continue to press for that,” he said.
During the recent conflict between Israel and Hamas, as Hamas launched thousands of rockets into Israel, Starmer was admonished by Jewish groups and a former Labour MP for issuing a one-sided tweet blaming Israel for the violence.