British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to fulfill his promise on Sunday and announce the UK's recognition of a Palestinian state, the BBC and other UK media reported overnight. At the same time, a survey published by The Telegraph found that just one in 10 Britons supports recognition without conditions, while 51% oppose such a move as long as Hamas remains in power in Gaza.
Starmer has faced heavy pressure within his own Labour Party to recognize a Palestinian state, a pledge already included in the party's election platform. More than half of Labour MPs signed a letter urging the government to recognize a Palestinian state immediately.
In July, Starmer declared that Britain would recognize a Palestinian state unless Israel met three conditions: agreement to a ceasefire in Gaza, commitment to a long-term peace deal leading to a two-state solution, and a halt to actions undermining such a deal, including annexation of land in Judea and Samaria.
According to earlier reports, Starmer postponed the announcement until after US President Donald Trump's visit to the UK earlier this week, amid disagreements between London and Washington on the issue. Trump himself acknowledged at a joint press conference with Starmer that the two leaders were "divided on the matter."
The expected decision has drawn sharp criticism. On Friday, Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch called recognition "a reward for terror." Britain's Chief Rabbi, Sir Ephraim Mirvis, urged the government to halt the move. "The recognition being proposed is not contingent on a functioning or democratic Palestinian government, nor even on the most basic commitment to a peaceful future," he was quoted by the BBC as saying. "Astonishingly, it is not even conditioned on the release of the 48 hostages still in captivity."
Government sources told the BBC that demands on Hamas to release the hostages and agree to a ceasefire had not changed, but officials at the Foreign Office argued that statehood was a right of the Palestinian people and could not depend on Hamas, which the government regards as a terrorist organization. At his joint press conference with Trump on Thursday, Starmer stressed that Hamas could have "no part" in a future Palestinian state.
Meanwhile, a JL Partners poll published Saturday by The Telegraph cast doubt on public backing for Palestinian recognition. According to the survey, nearly 90% of the population does not support recognition without preconditions. The poll, conducted between August 19 and 31 among 2,118 respondents, found that just 13% of Britons favor unconditional recognition, including only 11% of Labour voters. A majority, 51%, opposes recognition as long as Hamas controls Gaza and holds hostages. Forty percent believe recognition should be conditional on Hamas agreeing to a ceasefire and releasing the captives. Seventeen percent oppose recognition under any circumstances, while 52% say the move rewards terrorism.
The survey showed opposition to unconditional recognition cuts across party lines: 94% of Conservative voters, 89% of Labour voters, and 92% of those backing Reform UK, which is currently leading in the polls, oppose the move. Among Green Party supporters, support was higher at 32%.
James Johnson, co-founder of JL Partners, said the poll exposed a "disconnect" between Starmer and the public. "Only 13% say Britain should recognize a Palestinian state unconditionally. Among Labour voters themselves it is just 11%," he said. "The median view of the British public is that recognition must come with conditions: an agreed ceasefire and the release of the hostages."
The move is part of a French-Saudi effort to advance a two-state solution. The summit has already triggered a wave of recognition of a Palestinian state, sweeping up Britain, Canada, Australia, Belgium, Portugal and several other countries. A previous meeting of the initiative in July led to the drafting of the "New York Declaration," adopted earlier this month by the UN General Assembly with support from 142 states.
According to French media, President Emmanuel Macron is expected Monday evening to announce France's official recognition of a Palestinian state at the UN in New York. Portugal's Foreign Ministry announced Saturday that it too will formally recognize a Palestinian state today. "The Foreign Ministry confirms that Portugal will recognize the State of Palestine... The official declaration of recognition will take place on Sunday, September 21," the ministry said.
