What does recognising Palestinian statehood mean?

UK government to recognise the state of Palestine, unless Israel and Hamas meet conditions to descale conflict

Keir Starmer speaking at a press conference
Keir Starmer said Britain is ready to recognise Palestine at UN meeting in September
(Image credit: Toby Melville - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Keir Starmer has said the UK will recognise Palestinian statehood in September, unless the crisis in Gaza is brought to an end.

He will make the announcement at the United Nations, unless, he said, Israel allows in more aid, stops land annexation in the West Bank, and agrees to a ceasefire and peace talks. He said that Hamas must release all hostages, disarm, gives up any claim to a governing role in Gaza, and agree to a ceasefire, too.

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What is "Palestinian statehood"?

Recognising Palestinian statehood is the formal political acknowledgement of Palestine as a sovereign state, legitimising its right to self-determination as an autonomous country. Right now, this would be a largely symbolic step. More practical considerations, such as defining the borders of an independent Palestine, would come at a later stage – and, it's hoped, as part of an agreed peace process.

Which countries recognise Palestine?

Most UN countries already recognise Palestinian statehood. Of the 193 UN member states, 140 do so, including Russia, China, India, Spain, Ireland and Sweden. Last week, France committed to recognising the Palestinian state by September.

Palestine has not been admitted to the UN as a member state, despite this majority support. That's because the US, Israel's primary ally, has veto rights over any vote, due its status as a permanent member of the UN's Security Council. Palestine does have "permanent non-member observer" status at the UN, however, meaning it can participate in discussions but is not able to vote on resolutions. Some would say this status means "it is de facto recognised as a state already", said The Times.

Why hasn't the UK recognised Palestine before?

Britain is one of Israel's strongest European allies but it has consistently pushed for a two-state solution to successive conflicts between Israel and Palestine, and had hoped to use recognition as a tool to that end. Even after Parliament overwhelmingly voted to recognise Palestine in a "symbolic" vote in 2014, the then Conservative government said it would recognise Palestine as a state "at a time of our choosing" and when it "serves the objective of peace".

Now, though, Starmer has chosen to lay out a path to backing Palestinian statehood in order to throw Britain's diplomatic weight even more strongly behind stopping the crisis in Gaza. His move comes after "heavy domestic pressure", said The Guardian, and follows "France setting the ball rolling last week" and the "tacit green light" Donald Trump gave Starmer at their meeting in Scotland on Monday.

The British PM has waited until his announcement "would have the most impact", his allies claim, and he's still "holding back recognition" to try to push Israel to meet the conditions, said the Financial Times.

What difference would recognition make?

In a practical sense, it makes little difference to Palestinians on the ground, unless Britain also suspends or reduces its military or economic partnership with Israel – something it is unlikely to do. It does, however, mean that Palestine can open formal diplomatic relations with the UK, like any other sovereign state.

The hope is that the UK's promise of recognition will encourage other states to do the same, increasing pressure on Israel to scale back its operations in Gaza and make steps towards a two-state solution. Israel has so far remained steadfast in its rebuttal of the notion, with Netanyahu saying that a Palestinian state would be a "launch pad to annihilate Israel – not to live in peace beside it".

Richard Windsor is a freelance writer for The Week Digital. He began his journalism career writing about politics and sport while studying at the University of Southampton. He then worked across various football publications before specialising in cycling for almost nine years, covering major races including the Tour de France and interviewing some of the sport’s top riders. He led Cycling Weekly’s digital platforms as editor for seven of those years, helping to transform the publication into the UK’s largest cycling website. He now works as a freelance writer, editor and consultant.