Starmer says UK will recognise Palestinian state at UNGA unless Israel agrees Gaza ceasefire
London, Jul 29 (PTI): British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Tuesday said the UK will recognise the state of Palestine at the United Nations General Assembly in September unless Israel moves towards a ceasefire in Gaza.
In an address from 10 Downing Street, Starmer also asked Hamas to immediately release all the Israeli hostages taken on October 7, sign up to an immediate ceasefire and commit to disarmament as well as accept that it will play no part in the government of Gaza.
“I’ve always said that we will recognise a Palestinian state as a contribution to a proper peace process at the moment of maximum impact for the two-state solution,” said Starmer.
“With that solution now under threat, this is the moment to act. So today as part of this process towards peace, I can confirm the UK will recognise the State of Palestine by the UN General Assembly in September unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza, agree to a ceasefire and commit to a long-term sustainable peace, reviving the prospect of a two-state solution,” he said.
The British Prime Minister said his appeal includes allowing the UN to restart the supply of aid and making clear there will be no annexations in the West Bank.
“Meanwhile, our message to the Hamas is unchanged and unequivocal. They must immediately release all of the hostages, sign up to a ceasefire, disarm and accept that they will play no part in the government of Gaza,” he said.
He reiterated that an assessment will be made in September of how far the parties have met its conditions, “but no one should have a veto over our decision”.
Starmer noted that he had discussed the issue with US President Donald Trump during their talks in Scotland on Monday, paving the way for a major effort to get humanitarian supplies back into Gaza.
“Our goal remains a safe and secure Israel alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state. But right now that goal is under pressure like never before,” he said.
He stressed that the Palestinian people have “endured terrible suffering”, with Gaza the scene of “starving babies, children too weak to stand, images that will stay with us for a lifetime”.
“Suffering must end,” Starmer said, adding that the UK’s “primary aim” was “to change the situation on the ground for people who desperately need change”.
The address preceded Foreign Secretary David Lammy’s statement presenting the UK’s stance at the UN Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East.
The development follows French President Emmanuel Macron's decision earlier, making France the first G7 country and Permanent Member of the UN Security Council to announce his decision to recognise the state of Palestine to pile on pressure on Israel amid the Middle East conflict.
My statement on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and our plan for peace including the recognition of a Palestinian State. pic.twitter.com/aMUCNwJb9z
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) July 29, 2025
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NATO, others turn down US call for help in Hormuz: Trump
Washington (PTI): President Donald Trump on Tuesday said NATO and most of US' other allies have rejected his calls to help secure the Strait of Hormuz as the war with Iran entered the third week.
In a social media post, Trump asserted that Iran’s military has been “decimated” and he no longer felt the need for assistance from NATO countries or anyone else.
Last week, Trump had sought help from European nations and others who depend on oil supplies transiting from the Hormuz Strait to safeguard the critical waterway.
“The United States has been informed by most of our NATO “Allies” that they don’t want to get involved with our Military Operation against the Terrorist Regime of Iran, in the Middle East, this, despite the fact that almost every Country strongly agreed with what we are doing, and that Iran cannot, in any way, shape, or form, be allowed to have a Nuclear Weapon,” the US President said in a post on Truth Social.
Iran's attacks on Gulf nations and its grip on the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil is transported, have sparked increasing concerns of a global energy crisis and are unnerving the world economy.
“I am not surprised by their action, however, because I always considered NATO, where we spend Hundreds of Billions of Dollars per year protecting these same Countries, to be a one-way street — We will protect them, but they will do nothing for us, in particular, in a time of need,” Trump said.
He said Australia, Japan and South Korea too have turned down his call for help.
“Fortunately, we have decimated Iran’s Military – Their Navy is gone, their Air Force is gone, their Anti-Aircraft and Radar is gone and perhaps, most importantly, their Leaders, at virtually every level, are gone, never to threaten us, our Middle Eastern Allies, or the World, again,” Trump said.
He said that given the scale of recent military successes, the US no longer "need" or desires assistance from NATO countries, adding that it never relied on such support in the first place.
Speaking as President of the United States, the "most powerful" country in the world, "we do not need" help from anyone, Trump said.
The West Asia conflict began on February 28 when the US-Israeli combine conducted airstrikes on Iran.
The Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway that connects the Persian Gulf to the open ocean, has effectively been shut following the US and Israel attack on Iran and Tehran's sweeping retaliation.
However, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had said that from Tehran's "perspective", the strait is "open". "It is only closed to Iran's enemies, to those who carried out unjust aggression against our country and to their allies.”
Earlier in the day, a second Indian-flagged LPG tanker, Nanda Devi, reached the country after safely sailing from the war-hit Strait of Hormuz. On Monday, the first ship, Shivalik, reached Mundra port in Gujarat.
As of now, 22 Indian vessels remain on the west side and two on the east side of the strait.
Indian authorities are in constant touch with all the relevant stakeholders in the region to secure the safe passage of the remaining ships, officials said.
