Thank you to everyone who wrote to me, calling on the government to recognise a Palestinian state.

For months I have been urging the government to officially recognise Palestine and have signed a number of letters and spoken in parliament calling on them to do so.

So I am pleased that the Prime Minister has announced that the UK will recognise the state of Palestine by the time of the United Nations General Assembly in September unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza, ensure humanitarian aid reaches those who need it, agree to a ceasefire, and commit to a long-term, sustainable peace and a two-state solution.

Israel has already rejected those terms, meaning it is my expectation that the UK will proceed with recognising a Palestinian state in September.

In the aftermath of the October 7 attack, the UK stood strongly behind Israel as they responded to this evil and heinous act of terror. I will always support Israel’s right to defend themselves and to keep their citizens safe, and I strongly support the Prime Minister’s demand that Hamas disarm, release the remaining hostages, and accept it will have no role in the governing of Gaza.

But there can be no justification for the scenes we have witnessed since Israel launched this war – whole civilian neighbourhoods levelled, tens of thousands of innocent men, women and children killed, and now mass starvation caused by a refusal by Israel to allow sufficient aid to enter Gaza. Only negotiations – not more bloodshed – can secure the release of the remaining hostages and end the killing.

Meanwhile, fatal settler violence in the West Bank has skyrocketed, Israel continues to rubberstamp illegal settlement expansion, and Prime Minister Netanyahu has made absolutely clear he has no intention of committing to a two-state solution, which is the only plausible path to a just and sustainable peace for Israelis and Palestinians.

I know there has been some criticism that the UK’s proposal to recognise Palestine at the UN in September is conditional. I do not accept that criticism, because the choice the UK has presented Israel with is to commit to a political process for recognition and a two-state solution through negotiation, or have the UK recognise Palestine unilaterally. The option for Israel to reject the formation of a Palestinian state has not been presented as an option. It is ultimately Israel’s actions that have left the UK – along with France – with no choice but to push for recognition now while there is still a Palestine left to recognise.

As Labour’s 2024 general election manifesto states, “Palestinian statehood is the inalienable right of the Palestinian people. It is not in the gift of any neighbour and is also essential to the long-term security of Israel. We are committed to recognising a Palestinian state as a contribution to a renewed peace process which results in a two-state solution with a safe and secure Israel alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state.” The Prime Minister’s actions show that Labour stands as firmly behind those words now as we did last July.

I know recognition alone will not be enough to end the appalling suffering and human misery in Gaza. But the UK has now demonstrated to Israel that we will not stand by and allow this horror to continue.

In the coming weeks and months, I will continue to urge the government to go further and faster in its actions to end this appalling war and secure the sustainable peace that has eluded us for so long.