"Enduring Pain Cessation": Britain Joins France as PM Starmer Promises to Acknowledge Palestine at the United Nations
The countdown to September has begun, marking a new chapter in the world's most enduring conflict. In a significant move, the United Kingdom and France have announced their intentions to recognize the State of Palestine at the United Nations General Assembly session scheduled for late September 2025.
On July 29, 2025, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer made the announcement, stating that the UK will recognize Palestine at the UN General Assembly in September unless Israel takes steps to improve the humanitarian situation and renew peace efforts. This decision follows French President Emmanuel Macron's commitment to recognize Palestine at the September UN meetings[1].
However, the path to recognition is not without controversy. Israel's Foreign Ministry has responded to the UK's decision by calling it "a reward for Hamas". Israel has consistently argued that international recognition of Palestinian statehood without security guarantees for Israelis would embolden Hamas and undercut ceasefire negotiations.
The UK's decision comes after 255 British MPs, including 147 from Starmer's own Labour Party, signed a letter urging immediate recognition of Palestine. Kemi Badenoch, leader of the Conservative opposition in the UK, has criticized Starmer's decision, calling it "political posturing at its very worst" and accusing him of recalling ministers during Parliament's summer recess to address a political problem for the Labour Party. Badenoch also stated that recognizing a Palestinian state will not bring hostages home, end the war, or get aid into Gaza.
Meanwhile, the UN-backed food security body states that the "worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out" in the Gaza strip. Starmer has said that reality on the ground tells a different story and that at least 500 aid trucks need to enter Gaza every day, with U.K. airdrops of food and medical supplies already underway.
The announcement from the UK and France may not end the war, but it will redraw the moral and political lines across the international stage and set a precedent hard to undo. Spain, Ireland, and Norway formalized recognition of the State of Palestine last year. France and the United Kingdom, two permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, are now preparing to do the same.
President Emmanuel Macron of France has confirmed that France will formally recognize Palestine at the U.N. session in September, unless there's dramatic change on the ground. U.S. President Donald Trump took a more ambivalent tone about the UK's announcement, stating he had "no view" on Palestinian statehood.
As the world watches, the stage is set for a potentially transformative moment in the Israel-Palestine conflict. The negotiations, however, remain fraught with challenges, and the road to peace is far from over.
[1] Source: BBC News, "UK to recognise Palestine at UN General Assembly", July 29, 2025. Link to the source
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- The UK's policy and legislation, as represented by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, plan to recognize Palestine at the UN General Assembly in September, despite Israel's concerns that such recognition could exacerbate war-and-conflicts in the region.
- The recognition of Palestine by the UK and France in the UN General Assembly session could set a significant precedent in policy-and-legislation and politics, potentially prompting other nations like Spain, Ireland, and Norway to follow suit.
- As the world watches the unfolding events, the negotiations between Israel and Palestine remain challenging, with the road to peace still long and fraught with difficulties, including the general-news surrounding the humanitarian situation and renewed war-and-conflicts in the Gaza strip.
