Palestinian state: Trump's softened stance paved way for Starmer shift

It was, in the end, an off-the-cuff remark from Donald Trump that moved the dial.

- Eleni Courea

"I'm not going to take a position," the US president said when asked in Scotland about pressure on Keir Starmer to recognise a Palestinian state. "I don't mind him taking a position. I'm looking for getting people [in Gaza] fed right now."

Within 36 hours, after an emergency meeting of his cabinet, the prime minister had set out a plan to revive fading hopes of a two-state solution - and recognise Palestine next month.

It is a historic shift in the position of the British government and its efforts to bring peace to a region it administered through an international mandate from 1922 to 1948. David Lammy, the foreign secretary, told a UN conference on Tuesday that "Britain bears a special burden of responsibility".

Under the policy - which the Guardian understands was largely drafted by Jonathan Powell, the national security adviser - Britain will recognise Palestine unless Israel meets conditions including agreeing a ceasefire in Gaza and reviving the prospect of a two-state solution. In private, senior government figures agree that this commitment can only lead to recognition "unless the Netanyahu government falls in the next six to eight weeks or makes an 180-degree U-turn", as one government source put it - both vanishingly unlikely.

Ministers stress that recognising Palestine was a Labour manifesto promise and therefore always something they were committed to doing before the next election. But over the past fortnight, Starmer came under heavy pressure on the domestic and international stage to move faster amid a global outcry over the horrific scenes of starvation in Gaza caused by Israel's blockade on aid.