No country is more acutely aware of its history than Israel. And for good reason.
Created as a permanent Jewish homeland after the horrors of the Nazi holocaust, it has constantly had to fight for survival against belligerent Arab neighbours.
In 1948, 1967 and 1973, those neighbours tried to destroy it. They failed, but ever since there have been countless terrorist outrages and rocket attacks on Israeli civilians, many carried out by militant groups directed and funded by Iran.
The UK has always sympathised with Israel’s existential struggle and staunchly backed its right to self-defence. Until now.
Sir Keir Starmer‘s announcement that Britain will recognise Palestine as a sovereign state unless Israel ‘ends the suffering in Gaza‘ seriously undermines the Jewish state and gives succour to terrorists.
The PM wants to put pressure on Israel to stop bombarding Gaza and commit to a future two-state solution. But how can there be a lasting ceasefire while Hamas is still holding up to 50 Israeli hostages?
Their unconditional release – or return of their bodies – must surely come before any discussion of statehood.
And what does a two-state solution mean in practice? What would be the boundaries of this new Palestinian state? What would prevent it being ruled by Islamist extremists like Hamas? What safeguards would Israel have against being attacked by it? None of this detail is addressed by Sir Keir.
Sir Keir Starmer announced that Britain will recognise Palestine as a sovereign state unless Israel ‘ends the suffering in Gaza ‘ (Sir Keir pictured following an emergency cabinet meeting on Gaza on July 29, 2025)
Released hostage Ilana Gritzewsky with photos of her boyfriend, Matan Zangauker, who is being held hostage by Hamas in the Gaza Strip
The assumption is that Israel should retreat to its pre-1967 borders, giving up Gaza and the West Bank. But this ignores both history and present-day reality.
Israel occupied these areas after the Six-Day War, because they are of vital strategic importance and could provide a launchpad for further enemy attacks.
Handing them over to a potentially hostile government would still be a very real threat to Israeli national security.
Furthermore, 600,000 Jewish settlers live in the West Bank, some of whom have been there more than half a century. Should they all be evicted? And if so, where to?
Then there is East Jerusalem, also occupied in 1967 and housing the Old City and the Wailing Wall, Judaism’s holiest site.
It had previously been annexed (illegally) by Jordan, which expelled Jews, destroyed synagogues and restricted access to the holy places. What is to stop similar human rights abuses happening again?
There are still 28 UN countries that don’t even recognise Israel’s right to exist. Like Hamas and Hezbollah, they favour a one-state solution – with no Jews.
No one could fail to be moved by the plight of Gazans since Hamas launched its blitzkrieg of rape, slaughter and abduction on October 7, 2023.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Wailing Wall in East Jerusalem, with his then-seven-year-old son Yair (now 34), which houses the Old City
Israel occupied Gaza and the West Bank after the Six-Day War, because they claimed they were of vital strategic importance and could provide a launchpad for further enemy attacks (Israeli soldiers are seen in a tunnel that the military says Hamas militants used. File photo)
Israel has retaliated with extreme force – many would say too extreme – in its bid to eliminate the terror threat and free the remaining hostages.
But recognising Palestinian statehood will do nothing to alleviate Gaza’s agony. Indeed, it could prolong it, emboldening militants to carry on the struggle.
It’s obvious Sir Keir made this announcement to appease the large anti-Zionist faction within his party. In doing so he has alienated the only democracy in the Middle East, rewarded terrorism and made British Jews feel less safe.
It’s gesture politics of the most desperate kind from a Prime Minister who is clearly losing control of his party. Instead of showing courage and leadership, he has cravenly abandoned a longstanding ally in time of need.
