The only way to end the “humanitarian crisis” in Gaza is through what U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer calls a “long term settlement.”
Speaking to press Tuesday, Starmer stressed the need for a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas and announced that the U.K. will recognize Palestine as a state.
With the possibility of a two-state solution “under threat,” Starmer says “the U.K. will recognize the state of Palestine by the United Nations 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.”
Meanwhile, Starmer also called on Hamas to “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.”
Starmer’s remarks come just one day after meeting with President Donald Trump in Scotland to discuss, among a number of issues, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Calls for Palestinian statehood have grown louder following the most recent breakdown in negotiations for a peace deal between Israel and Hamas and reports of starvation in Gaza. On Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron announced France will recognize Palestine as a state.
“True to its historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, I have decided that France will recognize the State of Palestine,” Macron wrote on social media.
“France’s recognition of ‘Palestine’ and Great Britain’s prospective recognition of a Palestinian state represent gross violations of the still-governing Oslo peace accords and will only serve to increase Palestinian and global Islamic terror and subversion,” Dan Diker, president of the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, told The Daily Signal.
The Oslo Accords are agreements between the Palestine Liberation Organization and Israel aimed at resolving conflict between Israel and Palestine.
“France and Britain’s premature, ill-advised and even irresponsible recognition of a Palestinian state in the aftermath of the October 7 mass murder … advances the strategic goals of the Iranian regime and their extremist Sunni Arab counterparts, which are to attack and subvert the western powers by using the Palestinian issue as a battering ram against Israel,” Diker said.
Plans to recognize Palestine as a state come amid growing concerns over starvation in Gaza.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, a group aimed at increasing food security around the world, published a new report Tuesday on the threat of famine in the Gaza Strip.
“Mounting evidence shows that widespread starvation, malnutrition, and disease are driving a rise in hunger-related deaths. Latest data indicates that famine thresholds have been reached for food consumption in most of the Gaza Strip and for acute malnutrition in Gaza City,” according to the report.
On Tuesday, officials from numerous nations gathered at the United Nations in New York City for a conference hosted by France and Saudi Arabia to discuss Palestinian statehood.
The conference is focused on finding a “peaceful resolution of the Palestinian issue and implementation of the two-state solution,” Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, foreign minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, wrote on X Monday.
The conference “aims to end the occupation, empower the Palestinian people to secure their legitimate rights, and establish their independent state,” according to Farhan Al-Saud.
While the two-day U.N. conference drew representatives from dozens of countries, the U.S. and Israel did not participate.
“First of all, it’s incredibly inappropriate in the midst of a war that Israel is dealing with to go out and present something that I think increasingly the Israelis are steadfast against,” U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said of France’s efforts to lead U.N. nations in recognizing Palestinian statehood.
“If France is really so determined to see a Palestinian state, I’ve got a suggestion for them,” Huckabee continued. “Carve out a piece of the French Riviera and create a Palestinian state. They’re welcome to do that. But they’re not welcome to impose that kind of pressure on a sovereign nation.”
Following Macron’s announcement on Palestine, Trump told press Macron could do as he pleased, but added, “Here’s the good news: What he says doesn’t matter.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the U.S. “strongly rejects [Macron’s] plan to recognize a Palestinian state at the U.N. General Assembly. This reckless decision only serves Hamas propaganda and sets back peace. It is a slap in the face to the victims of October 7th.”
Victoria Coates, vice president of the Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy at The Heritage Foundation, told The Daily Signal that calls for recognition of Palestinian statehood following Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist attack on Israel “legitimize” Hamas’ “savage terrorism.”
“Rather than pressuring Israel to make concessions to the Palestinians, the pressure should be on Hamas to release the remaining hostages and disarm, which is the only path to a better future for the people they are supposed to govern,” Coates said. “Before this happens jumping to an unrealistic—and unrealizable—political solution will only encourage Hamas to prolong suffering in Gaza.”
There are still 50 hostages being held in Gaza, 20 of whom are believed to be alive.
About 140 U.N. member nations already recognize Palestine as a state.
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