UK foreign secretary suggests decision on Palestinian state likely in autumn

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy has suggested that British policy on recognising a Palestinian state will be decided in the autumn, Foreign Office sources have told Middle East Eye.

Lammy’s remarks appeared to suggest the UK may be aligning its timetable with France, after President Emmanuel Macron said Paris would recognise a Palestinian state at the UN in September.

A UK minister told the Financial Times on Friday: “It’s very likely now that we will do the same thing. That is where we are heading.”

Two Foreign Office sources told MEE that in a meeting with civil servants on Wednesday, Lammy remarked he had “a feeling that in the autumn, this debate will settle in a particular place”.

They added that the foreign secretary also noted he was not the sole decision-maker in UK government on the topic.

Read more: Lammy suggests UK decision on Palestinian state likely in autumn