Following France’s groundbreaking announcement to formally recognize Palestine, the British government is now under increasing internal pressure to take a similar stance.
Over 220 members of the UK Parliament—many of them from the ruling Labour Party—have formally urged Prime Minister Keir Starmer to extend official recognition to the State of Palestine.
The call came in the form of a letter signed by MPs from nine different political parties. It was issued just one day after French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France would officially recognize Palestine during the United Nations General Assembly session scheduled for September this year.
If implemented, France would become the first G7 nation and the most powerful European state to take this step—an action that has already drawn criticism from both Israel and the United States.
Amid the ongoing war in Gaza and fears of an impending famine in the besieged enclave, Prime Minister Starmer is facing mounting domestic and international pressure to act.
The letter signed by 221 lawmakers demands that the UK government formally recognize the State of Palestine during the upcoming UN session on July 28–29 in New York, co-hosted by France and Saudi Arabia.
The signatories emphasized that while the UK alone cannot establish a Palestinian state, formal recognition would serve as a significant symbolic gesture.
The letter was endorsed by members of the Conservative Party, Liberal Democrats, and regional parties from Scotland and Wales, all of whom cited Britain’s historical responsibilities and its role as a permanent member of the UN Security Council.
The letter also referenced the 1917 Balfour Declaration, which laid the foundation for the establishment of Israel. “Since 1980, we have consistently supported a two-state solution, and recognizing Palestine would reinforce that position,” the MPs wrote. “It would also reflect our moral and historic responsibility toward the Palestinian people.”
Meanwhile, following a telephone conversation on Friday with French and German leaders regarding the Gaza crisis, Prime Minister Starmer stated that the UK is “working to find a path to peace in the region.”
He added, “Recognition of Palestine as a state must be part of the steps that lead to peace—there is no ambiguity about that. However, it should be pursued as part of a broader strategy.”
