On 22 September, at the United Nations General Assembly, the Foreign Secretary formally announced the UK’s decision to recognise the State of Palestine, joining France, Canada, Australia and 150 other countries who have also recognised Palestinian statehood. Her statement to the UN can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/i-stand-before-you-today-beneath-the-emblem-of-the-united-nations-to-confirm-the-historic-decision-of-the-british-government-to-recognise-the-state

The Foreign Secretary’s statement made clear not just that there could be no role for Hamas in the future governance of Palestine, but that the process of recognition had taken place in the context of the formal repudiation of Hamas, its actions and ideology by governments across the Arab world, and the commitment of the Palestinian Authority to a significant programme of reform, ranging from their support for a demilitarised Palestine and condemnation of terrorist violence, to their pledges to end so-called prisoner payments and reform Palestinian schooling.

Most important, the Foreign Secretary made clear that the UK’s decision to recognise Palestinian statehood was part of a wider international effort pursued over recent months to create the political momentum for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all remaining hostages, the unrestricted flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, and the restoration of a meaningful process to create a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, with security for the Palestinian and Israeli peoples alike.

Those discussions at the UN General Assembly were shortly followed by the announcement by the White House of a 20-point peace initiative, designed to deliver all of the goals set out above. The UK Government strongly supports this initiative, and we are urging all our international partners to maintain the momentum towards its agreement and immediate implementation by all parties. At the time of writing, and accepting that there is a vast amount of work still to do, there are positive signs of progress, particularly in relation to the release of all remaining hostages.

All the actions that the UK Government has taken, including recognising the State of Palestine in the circumstances that we did, have been done with the aim in mind of securing an end to the immediate bloodshed, an end to humanitarian suffering in Gaza, an end to the torment of the hostages and their families, and ultimately, an end to the political impasse that has trapped generation after generation of Israelis and Palestinians in a cycle of instability, insecurity and violence.

We took that decision on recognition to keep alive the only prospect for a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, achieved by two states living peacefully alongside each other, a secure Israel alongside a secure and viable Palestine, with no future role for Hamas, and no future place for violence. We stand by that decision, and we believe all countries around the world – and all peoples of goodwill – should now join in working towards that vision of a peaceful future, in the form of the US peace initiative.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office