Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is expected to formally announce the UK’s recognition of a Palestinian state in a statement on Sunday afternoon.
The decision follows Starmer’s warning in July that Britain would shift its position in September unless Israel agreed to a ceasefire in Gaza and committed to a long-term peace framework that delivers a two-state solution.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu previously said such a move “rewards terror”.
However, UK ministers argue there was a moral responsibility to act to keep the hope of a long-term peace deal alive.
This is seen as a significant departure from decades of British foreign policy, with previous governments maintaining that recognition should only come as part of a negotiated peace process and at a moment of “maximum impact.”
