UK edging closer to recognizing Palestine

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to present a plan to recognize the State of Palestine this week, The Times reported.

The newspaper attributes this move by the head of government to growing pressure from the ruling Labour Party, led by Starmer.

According to the article, some cabinet members are pressuring the prime minister to recognize the Palestinian state, thus fulfilling a promise contained in the Labour Party's election manifesto, which does not specify a timeframe.

The party returned to power in July 2024 after winning the general election with this promise.

The newspaper quoted a Starmer spokesperson who said that the PM "shared the plans he is working on with other European leaders to bring about a lasting peace" in the coming days, recognizing "the "inalienable right" of Palestinians to have their own state.

Yesterday, British Business and Trade Minister Jonathan Reynolds said the UK will recognize the state of Palestine before the next general election in 2029.

Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France would recognize the state of Palestine. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, and Kuwait, as well as Spain, Ireland, and Slovenia, which had recognized Palestine a year earlier, welcome France's planned recognition.