British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Friday that recognition of a Palestinian state must be part of a wider plan that would ensure lasting security for both Israelis and Palestinian Arabs.
“The appalling scenes in Gaza are unrelenting. The continued captivity of hostages, the starvation and denial of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people, the increasing violence from extremist settler groups, and Israel’s disproportionate military escalation in Gaza are all indefensible,” Starmer said in a statement.
“Alongside our closest allies, I am working on a pathway to peace in the region, focused on the practical solutions that will make a real difference to the lives of those that are suffering in this warm,” he continued, adding, “That pathway will set out the concrete steps needed to turn the ceasefire so desperately needed, into a lasting peace.”
“Recognition of a Palestinian state has to be one of those steps. I am unequivocal about that. But it must be part of a wider plan which ultimately results in a two-state solution and lasting security for Palestinians and Israelis. This is the way to ensure it is a tool of maximum utility to improve the lives of those who are suffering - which of course, will always be our ultimate goal,” concluded Starmer.
The British Prime Minister’s statement comes a day after French President Emmanuel Macron announced that his country will officially recognize “the State of Palestine” at the UN General Assembly in September.
Following Macron’s announcement, Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas called on Britain and other countries that have not yet recognized “Palestine” to do so.
Macron had previously publicly called upon the United Kingdom to join France in recognizing a Palestinian state.
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)