International editor
EPAThe Prime Minister Sir Kir Stmper announced that the UK would recognize the state of Palestinian, there is a major change in Britain’s foreign policy.
He offered to postpone the recognition, if Israel “took important steps to end the terrible situation in Gaza, agreed to a ceasefire and committed to a long-term, permanent peace, revived the possibility of a two-state solution.”
The immediate rejection of Israel’s statement meant that Starmer’s speech writers can now start work on what the UN General Assembly would say in September. Palestine’s recognition of Britain looks “irreversible”, according to a senior British officer.
Starmer will not expect the change of Britain’s policy to produce an independent Palestinian state at any time – from the point of view of many Israelis, the best time for this will never be – but intention, diplomatic sources say, both sides, Israeli and Palestinians have to empower the mediators. The British hope is that they can convince them that peace may be possible.
This would not be easy, not the way Hamas killed about 1,200 people, including hundreds of Israeli citizens, and held hostage on 7 October 2023, followed by Israel’s tamasic reaction, which killed thousands of citizens and ruined Gaza.
This is also because every attempt to make peace has failed. In the 1990s, the years of peace talks ended in bloodshed. Since then every attempt to revive them has collapsed.
Israel’s rejection came a few minutes later a few minutes after the Kir Stmper spoke at the Downing Street. Later in the evening, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned a terrible word on social media.
“Stamor rewards the demonic terrorism of Hamas and punishes its victims. Today a jihadi kingdom on the border of Israel will threaten Britain tomorrow.”
“The appeasement of jihadi terrorists always fails. It will also fail you. It will not happen.”
Netanyahu denied that Israel caused starvation and destruction in Gaza. Had he accepted to postpone the terms of Britain, his government would have disintegrated. He does not provide freedom, depending on the support of ultra nationalist extremists, who want to enacted occupied areas and exclude Palestinians.
But Netanyahu is not his prisoner. He created a career in protest against the two-state solution, the idea that peace can be created by making an independent Palestinian kingdom with Israel. Earlier this month, he said that a Palestinian kingdom would be a ‘launchpad’ for the October 7 style efforts to destroy Israel.
Netanyahu will expect strong support from the US government. Its situation is that recognizing a Palestinian kingdom now rewards Hamas terrorism.
Donald Trump told reporters that he flew back into the US after his golfing interlude in Scotland that he did not support Britain’s move.
The issue of Palestinian sovereignty can become another factor for separating the transatlantic relationship.
For the last few weeks, the Kir Stmper was not sure that the time was right to identify Palestine. But pictures of Palestinian children in Gaza were the last straw after killing and destruction.
Downing Street and Foreign Office, as well as in Labor Party more widely in UK
Britain’s decision to join France in recognizing Palestine is another sign of Israeli’s growing diplomatic isolation. Its two major Western colleagues, both permanent members of the UK and France, the United Nations Security Council, have rejected Israeli’s attempt to block their recognition when the General Assembly is found in New York in September.
In New York, just after the stormer’s statement, the UK Foreign Secretary David Lemy was given a big round of applause on the two-state solution and announcement of Britain’s decision at the United Nations Conference on the recognition of Palestinian state.
His allegation dismissed that Palestinian freedom could be fatal to Israel.
“There is no contradiction between the safety and support for Israel’s safety and support for the Palestinian state. In fact, the opposite is true.”
“I must be clear: rejection of Netanyahu government’s two-state solution is wrong-it is morally wrong and it is strategically wrong.”
A British official said that the atmosphere was electric because Lammy told the delegates that the UK was announced “with the hands of history on our shoulders.” Lammi entered Palestine’s royal past in the British, once connected with the roots of conflict between the Jews and the Arabs to control the British rule.
Britain captured Jerusalem from the Ottoman Empire in 1917 and controlled Palestine until 1948, until then tired and out of thoughts, which then had a full -scale war between billions and Jews, leaving the United Nations and left Palestine. Immediately, Israel’s first Prime Minister David Ben Gurian declared independence, and Israel defeated the attack by Arab forces.
United Nations David Lemi remembered how Arthur Balfor, as his predecessor, signed a typical letter for Jewish people in 1917 as Foreign Secretary to see in favor of installation in Palestine of a national house.
But the document, known as the Balfor Declaration, also said that “nothing would be done that may prejudicate citizens and religious rights of non-Jewish communities in Palestine.” It did not use the word Arab, but that’s meant.
Lammy said that Britain could be proud in such a way that she helped laying the foundation of Israel, but promised to Palestinians, Lemi said, was not placed, and that “is a historical injustice that continues.”
Britain’s conflicting promises gave the struggle and shaped. In the 1920s, a time passenger returning to a century to Palestine in the 1920s will be found to be depressing stress and violence.
The way the UK expects to eliminate grief in Gaza, creates peace in the Middle East, and the historical injustice described is to revive the two-state solution to repeat the lami.
The conference he was speaking in New York was chaired by France and Saudi Arabia. It has created a seven-page document aimed at making ahead to revive the two-state solution, including condemnation of its October 7 attacks on Hamas and Israel of Arab states.
The window for peace through the two-state solution appeared closed after the collapse of the peace process that began with real hope in the 1990s.
Britain’s decision to recognize Palestine is a diplomatic craub to try to reopen it.
