A third of MPs last night piled pressure on Keir Starmer to acknowledge Palestine as a state as the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza worsened.
In a letter to the Prime Minister, 221 members across nine parties joined forces to press for UK recognition of Palestinian statehood at a UN Conference next week.
They said they were ‘expectant’ that the outcome of the congress will be the Government ‘outlining when and how it will act on its long-standing commitment on a two-state solution’.
But Sir Keir resisted, insisting that recognition ‘must be part of a wider plan which ultimately results in a two-state solution and lasting security for Palestinians and Israelis’.
The letter came as UN agencies warned that Gaza is running out of specialised food to save severely malnourished children. Supplies of ready-to-use therapeutic food will run out by mid-August if nothing changes, they warned.
Palestinians have accused the IDF of ‘cutting off’ Gaza, but Israel has insisted that Hamas is to blame for failing to deliver aid to civilians.
Yesterday, journalist Ahmed al-Arini shared horrifying pictures of severely malnourished Muhammad Zakariya Ayyoub al-Matouq in his mother’s arms in the spartan tent they now share in Gaza City to highlight the situation.
Last night Donald Trump claimed Hamas didn’t want to make a deal on a ceasefire in Gaza, as the US and Israel withdrew their negotiating teams from Qatar.
A third of MPs last night piled pressure on Keir Starmer to acknowledge Palestine as a state as the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza worsened
Journalist Ahmed al-Arini shared horrifying pictures of severely malnourished Muhammad Zakariya Ayyoub al-Matouq in his mother’s arms in the spartan tent they now share in Gaza City to highlight the situation
Donald Trump claimed Hamas didn’t want to make a deal on a ceasefire in Gaza, as the US and Israel withdrew their negotiating teams from Qatar
Following the breakdown of talks, the US President – who was on his way to Scotland – said: ‘It was too bad. Hamas didn’t really want to make a deal. I think they want to die.
‘Now we’re down to the final hostages and they know what happens after you get the final hostages. Basically, because of that, they really didn’t want to make a deal.’
On Thursday, France announced it would recognise a Palestinian state – the first G7 nation to do so.
President Emmanuel Macron said he would honour a ‘historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East’, and also called for the ‘demilitarisation’ of Hamas.
But Tory leader Kemi Badenoch warned Sir Keir against following France’s lead.
She said: ‘The French government’s decision to unilaterally recognise a Palestinian state in this context, outside any direct negotiations, while hostages are still held, undermines the prospects of a lasting peace and sends a dangerous message to the world.
‘Keir Starmer must assist in seeking a peaceful end to this conflict rather than follow France’s misguided decision to reward the terrorist group that started it.
President Emmanuel Macron said he would honour a ‘historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East’, and also called for the ‘demilitarisation’ of Hamas
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch warned Sir Keir against following France’s lead and called for the ‘complete eradication of Hamas’
‘The only path to peace that will see an end to the appalling suffering in Gaza is the complete eradication of Hamas.’
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio branded France’s decision ‘reckless’ and said the US ‘strongly rejects’ the announcement.
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu also condemned Mr Macron’s move, saying: ‘A Palestinian state in these conditions would be a launch pad to annihilate Israel – not to live in peace beside it.’
But France’s decision has piled further pressure on Downing Street over its stance on Palestinian statehood.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting called for recognition ‘while there’s still a state of Palestine left to recognise’.
The UK Government has said it will designate Palestine as a state in conjunction with allies at the ‘point of maximum impact’ – though has not specified what that would be.
Labour MP Sarah Champion, who organised the cross-party letter to Sir Keir, said that while ‘recognition alone will not end the suffering in Gaza… it is an important symbolic step on the path to the two-state solution. That remains the only viable proposal to secure a lasting peace for the region’.
The plea came as Israel said aid can be dropped into Gaza via parachutes. Last night the Lib Dems called on the RAF to ‘lead the way’ in delivering the drops.
