Israel Rejects British PM's Statement On Palestinian State Recognition

Illustration of the State of Palestine. (Source: Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

JAKARTA - Israel's Foreign Ministry said the country rejected British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's statement about London's plans to recognize the Palestinian State.

"Israel rejected the British Prime Minister's statement. The change in the position of the British government, following France's internal political action and pressure, is currently a reward for Hamas and weakening efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement in Gaza and securing the release of the hostages," the ministry said in a statement. , reported TASS July 30

Earlier, PM Starmer said Britain would recognize the Palestinian State before the UN General Assembly in September, if Israel continued to hinder the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and continued its military operations in the enclave.

"We are determined to protect the continuity of the two-state solution, and therefore we will recognize the Palestinian State in September before the UN General Assembly, unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end the alarming situation in Gaza and is committed to continued long-term peace, including allowing the United Nations to immediately restart supply of humanitarian aid to the Gazan people to end hunger, agree to a ceasefire, and insist there will be no annexation in the West Bank," he said in a statement.

"We will conduct an assessment before the UN General Assembly on the extent to which the parties have fulfilled these measures. No party will have veto rights to recognition, either through their actions or inactivatement. However, the recognition itself will not change the situation on the ground. Therefore, we are taking additional steps immediately to ease the humanitarian situation, including sending humanitarian supplies by air with Jordan, and evacuating children injured from Gaza to British hospitals, in addition to strongly urging that the delivery of UN humanitarian aid be continued, "added PM Starmer.

The statement said London demanded "an immediate ceasefire to stop the massacre, so that the United Nations is allowed to send humanitarian aid to Gaza in a sustainable manner to prevent hunger, and the immediate release of hostages" detained by the Palestinian radical movement, Hamas.

The statement stated Britain was "committed to cooperate with our international partners to develop a credible peace plan for the next phase in Gaza that stipulates a transitional government and security arrangements.

It said this should be accompanied by the withdrawal of Israeli troops and the removal of Hamas leadership from Gaza as a key step towards a negotiated two-state solution.

The ruling Labor Party has long been "committed to recognize the Palestinian state" and the party has stated this in its pre-election manifesto 2024. The statement states "Palestinian states are a right that cannot be revoked from the Palestinian people," while the recognition of the Palestinian state is "very important to Israel's long-term security. We are committed to recognizing the Palestinian state as a contribution to a new peace process that produces a two-state solution to Israel that is safe and secure in addition to a viable and sovereign Palestinian state."