Live Blog Update| Israel's genocide in Gaza
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Opinion: Starmer's dangerous message: Palestinians can only have their basic rights if Israel allows it

31 July 2025 12:38 BST

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's announcement on Tuesday that the UK intends to recognise a Palestinian state by September presents itself as a significant diplomatic shift.

However, a closer examination reveals this to be a conditional statement, not a genuine step towards justice or an end to the brutal realities in Gaza and the Occupied West Bank.

This move risks functioning as a distraction, obscuring the UK's complicity and absolving it of its historical and legal responsibilities.

While Gaza’s civilians starve under siege, the UK government dangles a conditional promise of statehood.

Israel’s assault on Gaza has been catastrophic, with over 60,000 Palestinians killed since October 2023, and the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa) stating the starvation of the people of Gaza is "manufactured and man-made".

There is, for all to see, a genocide unfolding. Yet, Starmer’s response has been to pledge recognition of Palestine only if Israel first meets an extensive checklist: a ceasefire, unimpeded aid deliveries, a halt to West Bank annexations, and more. 

Read more: Starmer's dangerous message: Palestinians can only have their basic rights if Israel allows it Opinion by Ismail Patel

A pro-Palestinian demonstration outside Downing Street in London on the day of an emergency British government meeting on Gaza, on 29 July 2025 (Reuters)
A pro-Palestinian demonstration outside Downing Street in London on the day of an emergency British government meeting on Gaza, on 29 July 2025 (Reuters)