The UK has formally recognised Palestine as an independent state, Keir Starmer has announced.
The deeply symbolic move comes seven decades after the end of the British mandate in Palestine and the formation of the state of Israel.
Canada and Australia on Sunday also made their own formal declarations recognising Palestine before a conference of the UN general assembly in New York.
The UK prime minister said: “The hope of a two-state solution is fading but we cannot let that light go out … Today, to revive the hope of peace and a two-state solution, I state clearly, as prime minister of this great country, that the UK formally recognises the state of Palestine.”
He added: “In the face of the growing horrors in the Middle East we are acting to keep alive the possibility of peace and a two-state solution. That means a safe and secure Israel, alongside a viable Palestinian state. At the moment we have neither.”
London sees the step as a lever to push for a lasting settlement to end the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestine. Under that envisioned deal, a reformed and elected Palestinian government, stripped of Hamas influence, would operate alongside Israel.
The move is not being portrayed as a punishment of Israel, but it is unlikely the step would have been taken if the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, had conducted the military campaign in Gaza with less ferocity and greater regard for international law.
Speaking shortly before the announcement, a spokesperson for Netanyahu said he viewed the recognition as “absurd and simply a reward for terrorism”.
In an attempt to address criticisms of the move from the US and Israel, Starmer insisted that recognition was not a reward for Hamas, and the UK would introduce further sanctions against senior figures in the militant group in coming weeks.
He said: “Let’s be frank, Hamas is a brutal terror organisation. Our call for a genuine two-state solution is the exact opposite of their hateful vision. So we are clear, this solution is not a reward for Hamas, because it means Hamas can have no future, no role in government, no role in security.”
Calling on Israel to allow more aid into Gaza, Starmer added: “The man-made humanitarian crisis in Gaza reaches new depths. The Israeli government’s relentless and increasing bombardment of Gaza, the offensive of recent weeks, the starvation and devastation are utterly intolerable. Tens of thousands have been killed, including thousands as they tried to collect food and water. This death and destruction horrifies all of us. It must end.”
Starmer announced in July that the UK would recognise Palestine by the time of the UN general assembly, which begins next week, unless Israel abided by a ceasefire and committed to a two-state solution in the Middle East.
It came after intense pressure from within the Labour party for action, given the increasing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and follows parallel plans by France and Canada.
Starmer said recognition would take place unless Israel agreed to a series of conditions set out in the UK-led eight-point peace plan, and backed by allies.
These were for Israel to take “substantive steps” to end the situation in Gaza, reach a ceasefire, and commit to no annexation in the West Bank as well as a long-term peace process. Starmer spoke to Netanyahu before the announcement.
As part of its recognition, the UK can now enter into treaties with the Palestinian government and will recognise Husam Zomlot as the full Palestinian ambassador to the UK, requiring the ambassador to present his credentials to King Charles.
Zomlot said the “long-overdue recognition marks an end to Britain’s denial of the Palestinian people’s inalienable right to self-determination, freedom and independence in our homeland”.
He added: “It marks an irreversible step towards justice, peace and the correction of historic wrongs, including Britain’s colonial legacy, the Balfour Declaration and its role in the dispossession of the Palestinian people.”
The UK’s recognition of Palestine comes as part of an internationally coordinated effort. More than 150 countries are expected to have recognised Palestine by the end of next week, although some may set conditions.
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The US, now in effect opposed to a two-state solution, has rejected the UK move.
Prompting the UK’s decision is anger at Israel’s treatment of Palestinians and a sense that if Britain did not act now Israel would, through annexation, have destroyed the last hope of Palestinian self-determination.
The UK hopes that formal recognition of Palestine could help preserve the idea of a two-state solution, as supported by itself and many other nations, in which the state of Palestine coexists next to Israel.
UK officials worry that Netanyahu’s government aims to make this effectively impossible by annexing the West Bank or making Gaza so uninhabitable that Palestinians are forced over the borders into Jordan or Egypt.
The UK has said it envisages a Palestinian state in which Hamas is disarmed and plays no part in the future government, and the leadership of the Palestinian Authority is subject to elections within a year.
The requirement for Hamas to stand aside, seen as a precondition of recognition by France, was backed in the New York declaration endorsed by the Arab states on 29 July and then passed by the general assembly on 12 September.
Speaking before the formal announcement, David Lammy, the UK deputy prime minister, who was foreign secretary when the recognition timetable was agreed, said much of the idea was “wrapped up in hope”.
“Will this feed children? No it won’t, that’s down to humanitarian aid. Will this free hostages? That must be down to a ceasefire,” he told BBC1’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg.
He added: “What do we say to the children of a future Palestinian state? Do we say we have to wait for the perfect conditions before we can recognise a Palestinian state?”
Australia’s prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said: “Further steps including the establishment of diplomatic relations and the opening of embassies will be considered as the Palestinian Authority makes further progress on commitments to reform.”
The Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, said: “Recognising the state of Palestine, led by the Palestinian Authority, empowers those who seek peaceful coexistence and the end of Hamas. This in no way legitimises terrorism, nor is it any reward for it.
“While Canada is under no illusions that this recognition is a panacea, this recognition is firmly aligned with the principles of self-determination and fundamental human rights reflected in the United Nations Charter, and the consistent policy of Canada for generations”.
Portugal said its announcement would be made on Sunday at a ceremony in New York.