Britain remains committed to recognising a Palestinian state but stresses that the immediate focus must be on alleviating the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and achieving a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, a British cabinet minister said on Friday.
While successive UK governments have supported the idea of Palestinian statehood, they have not provided a specific timeline or conditions for formal recognition.
“We want Palestinian statehood, we desire it, and we want to make sure the circumstances can exist where that kind of long-term political solution can have the space to evolve,” said Science and Technology Minister Peter Kyle in an interview with Sky News. “But right now, today, we’ve got to focus on what will ease the suffering — and it is extreme, unwarranted suffering in Gaza that has to be the priority.”
His remarks follow French President Emmanuel Macron’s announcement that France intends to recognise a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September — a move that has drawn sharp criticism from Israel and the United States.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer reaffirmed in a statement on Thursday that Palestinian statehood is “the inalienable right of the Palestinian people,” but emphasised that an immediate ceasefire is crucial to pave the way toward a viable two-state solution.
During a visit to Australia, Foreign Minister David Lammy echoed Starmer’s stance, describing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza as “indefensible” and underscoring the urgent need for a ceasefire.
Gaza’s health authorities report that over 100 people, mostly in recent weeks, have died from starvation. Human rights organisations warn that mass starvation is rapidly worsening, even as food and aid remain stalled just outside the enclave’s borders.
