After France, it’s Britain. More than a century after the British Government issued the Balfour Declaration (on November 9, 1017) to pave the way for the establishment of a “national home for the Jewish people” in Palestine, the Government of Prime Minister Sir Keir Rodney Starmer in London has decided to recognise the State of Palestine in September 2025.

Amid famine situation in the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Starmer announced on July 29, 2025 that Britain would recognise the State of Palestine by September, unless Israel takes “substantive steps” to end its war on Gaza and commit to a genuine peace process. Immediately after an emergency Cabinet meeting, the Starmer Administration issued a statement, mentioning that the recognition could take place before the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.

As expected, the decision irked the Zionist Regime. The Israeli Foreign Ministry issued a statement, saying that the recognition of a Palestinian State “constitutes a reward for Hamas and harms efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and a framework for the release of the hostages”. Prime Minister Benjamin ‘Bibi’ Netanyahu, too, wrote on X: “Starmer rewards Hamas’s monstrous terrorism & punishes its victims.”

While 140 countries have granted or are willing to grant Palestine statehood, this is the second time when a member country of the G-7 has expressed intention to recognise Palestine as a State. Earlier in July (2025), 255 MPs from nine political parties wrote to Prime Minister Starmer and his Foreign Secretary David Lindon Lammy, stressing that Britain should recognise Palestine. It may be noted that a number of European countries have strongly condemned the massacre in Gaza and backed the Palestinian cause in recent times. According to political analysts, if major global powers, like France and Britain, take such steps, then other countries, like Germany, Australia, Canada and Japan, would have to clear their stand on the Palestine issue in the coming days.

Incidentally, US President Donald John Trump expressed serious concern over the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza, in a rare first, on July 28 (2025), stating: “I want him (Prime Minister Netanyahu) to make sure they (Palestinians) get the food. I want to make sure they get the food.” He added: “Those children look very hungry.”

Speaking at a press conference, Starmer stated: “I’ve always said we will recognise a Palestinian State as a contribution to a proper peace process, at the moment of maximum impact for the Two-State Solution. With that solution now under threat, this is the moment to act.” He added: “So today, as part of this process towards peace, I can confirm that the UK will recognise the State of Palestine by the United Nations General Assembly in September, unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza.” For his part, Foreign Secretary Lammy stressed that it was “with the hand of history on our shoulders” that London planned to recognise Palestinian statehood, given Britain’s pivotal role in the creation of Israel through the 1917 Balfour Declaration.

Analysts are of the opinion that Prime Minister Starmer’s announcement has triggered a big change in British foreign policy that would certainly create troubles for the Jewish Nation in future. However, the decision is not at all a surprising one as the recognition of Palestine has long been a part of the Labour Party‘s policy. In its election manifesto, the Labour Party clearly mentioned: “Palestinian statehood is the inalienable right of the Palestinian people. It is not in the gift of any neighbour and is also essential to the long-term security of Israel.”

Israel has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians since it launched an offensive against the Hamas Movement on October 7, 2023. Although Tel Aviv has claimed that its military onslaught is in response to the Hamas-led attacks that left at least 1,139 people dead in Israel, rights groups have condemned the Zionist Regime’s scorched earth tactics in the Gaza Strip.

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das