(Photograph: Ben Dance / FCDO)
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy revealed on Wednesday that the UK is in discussions with France and Saudi Arabia over the recognition of a Palestinian state, ahead of a UN conference in June.
Speaking at the House of Lords International Relations and Defence Committee, Lammy said that the UK intends to support recognition of Palestine when it would have an impact on the ground rather than serve as a symbolic moment. He added that recognition by some European countries had not changed much.
“President Macron has had a lot to say about that, most recently, alongside the Saudis, and of course we are in discussion with them at this time,” he said.
French President Emmanuel Macron said in April, following a trip to Egypt, that France could recognise a Palestinian state at the UN conference in June. He described the move as a step that could “trigger a series of other recognitions … including the recognition of Israel by states that do not currently do so.”
Lammy remarked, “It is unacceptable for any group of people to have lived with no state for longer than I’ve been alive.”
He also stated that during talks with Qatar last week, he had emphasised that any long-term solution required Hamas leadership to leave and have no role in governing Gaza. He said full demilitarisation would be necessary, drawing a parallel with Northern Ireland following the Good Friday Agreement.
Addressing Israeli settlements, Lammy noted that 59 outposts had been built in the West Bank in the last year, compared to an average of seven per year over the past 25 years. He acknowledged that this undermined the prospects of a two-state solution.
Lammy’s remarks come after a debate in the House of Commons on Tuesday on the visit by Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa, the first official visit by a PA leader since 2021. During the visit, the UK signed a memorandum of understanding with the PA and pledged a £101 million support package for the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
During the parliamentary debate, MPs across party lines expressed support for recognition. Parliamentary Under-Secretary for the Middle East Hamish Falconer affirmed the government’s position of recognition of a Palestinian state as a contribution to a two-state solution. “While we are committed to the inalienable right of the Palestinians to a state as part of a two-state solution, let us not pretend that there are not vexed issues at the centre of what a Palestinian state would look like,” he said. Conservative MP Desmond Swayne asked “For how long does the Minister think he will be able to recognise a Palestinian state that retains sufficient economically viable land to actually be a goer?
The push for recognition comes amid growing international momentum. Palestine is recognised as a sovereign state by 147 of the UN’s 193 member states. Several countries, including Spain, Ireland, and Norway recognised Palestine as a state in 2024. France and the UK could be the first in the G7 to recognise Palestine, and such a move would also mark recognition by two permanent members of the UN Security Council. "It would be a paradigm change, a new platform. It all starts with that recognition" PA Prime Minister Mustafa told Scottish National Party MP Chris Law.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and members of his right-wing government have repeatedly expressed opposition to Palestinian statehood with Netanyahu telling President Macron that a Palestinian state would be a “huge prize for terror”. Netanyahu reiterated Sunday that Israel would not permit the PA to govern Gaza, adding Israel would maintain military control over Gaza. “We will not succumb to any pressure not to do that” he stated.