The United Kingdom will recognize Palestine as a state in September unless Israel takes “substantive steps” to end the “appalling situation in Gaza,” according to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The UK will recognize Palestine at the United Nations General Assembly in September unless Israel takes several steps, including establishing a ceasefire in Gaza, halting the annexation of territory in the West Bank, and a pledge to work toward a peace process involving a two-state solution. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized the UK’s decision, stating that it “rewards Hamas’s monstrous terrorism & punishes its victims.” The US has also spoken with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, and King Abdullah II of Jordan about the UK’s plan to recognize Palestinian statehood.
Last week, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France would recognize Palestine as a state and would formalize that decision at the U.N. General Assembly in September. Israel condemned that decision, stating that it “rewards terror and risks creating another Iranian proxy, just as Gaza became.” The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs lists 149 countries that currently recognize the state of Palestine, and 151 countries would rise to 151 if France and the U.K. formalize recognition of Palestine as a state in September.