Without concrete action, there won't be any Palestine left for Britain to recognise

Watershed moment may be pointless unless Israel is deterred from annexing the occupied West Bank

- Bel Trew

The UK, Canada, Australia and Portugal all recognised the state of Palestine over the weekend. France, Malta and four other states were expected to formally recognise a Palestinian state yesterday.

It is a watershed moment, albeit painfully overdue for Palestinians who particularly feel this about the UK. Over 100 years ago, the then British foreign secretary penned the Balfour Declaration announcing British support for “the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people”, with no mention of the Palestinians, triggering decades of conflict, bloodshed and erasure.

Fast forward to Sunday, and Sir Keir Starmer said the UK was pushing ahead with the recognition of Palestine “to revive the hope of peace and a two-state solution”.

He has called it “a pledge to the Palestinian and Israeli people ... that there can be a better future”.

The very future of the region - the chances of reaching a two-state conclusion — is being discussed at a UN summit convened by France and Saudi Arabia in New York.

But all these moves have been met with blistering fury by Israel.

Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the UK and others of “rewarding terror with an enormous prize”. In response, he declared, “there will be no Palestinian state”, and vowed to “continue on this path” of expanding Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, which are illegal under international law. He signed off the message warning the world to “stand by” for further Israeli response.