Britain To Recognize Palestinian Country Late This Week

Illustration of the State of Palestine. (UN Photo/Manuel El04s)

JAKARTA - Britain will officially recognize the Palestinian state this weekend, after US President Donald Trump, who opposes the decision, left the country at the end of his state visit, reports the Times newspaper.

The Times, without citing its sources, said Britain would make an announcement after President Trump completed his visit on Thursday, quoted by Reuters on September 18.

Britain's Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned in July that Britain would take such action unless Israel took steps to ease suffering in Gaza and reach a ceasefire in the nearly two-year war with Hamas.

Meanwhile, Israel says the recognition of the Palestinian State, which France, Canada, and Australia have also said it will do this month, will benefit Hamas.

PM Starmer, under pressure from some of its Labor Party members to take a more assertive stance against Israel, said Britain would recognize the Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly next week, unless Israel took substantive steps to defuse the situation in Gaza.

In July, President Trump said he had no objection to Britain taking such a move. However, since then the US has been affirming its opposition to such actions by its European allies.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has warned countries considering recognizing Palestinian states in the Assembly that Israel could take "real action" in the form of annexation of the West Bank, quoted from The Times of Israel.

Britain has long supported the "two-state solution" policy to end the conflict in the region, but has previously said this could only be realized if the time was right.