After many decades of calling for the UK to recognise the State of Palestine, today’s announcement by Sir Keir Starmer is long overdue. However, the conditional nature of today’s announcement is at odds with the Government’s stated position that “statehood is the inalienable right of the Palestinian people.”
“The rights of the Palestinian people, both in Gaza and the West Bank, are not a bargaining chip,” said Dr Naomi Green, Assistant Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Britain. “The Prime Minister’s 500 word statement today remains symbolic only, making no mention of a trade embargo or ceasing military support to Israel.”
She continued, “Having been shamed into action by other world leaders like President Macron’s announcement last Friday that France will recognise Palestine without conditions, and the horrifying scenes of avoidable and man-made starvation in Gaza, millions of Britons continue to watch our Government’s empty words and ask: ‘where is the tangible action’?”
Between October 2023 and May 2025 alone, the UK has approved over 108 export licences to Israel, including 42 for military use, according to the Department for Business and Trade. In Q4 2024 alone, £127.6 million in military licences were approved, more than the combined total from 2020–2023.
By mid-2025, the value of approved arms exports had exceeded £100 million, according to Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT). Despite a partial suspension in September 2024, according to The Guardian, UK firms continued exporting bombs, grenades, and missile components under open licences. Meanwhile, trade between the UK and Israel reached £3.2 billion in the year to Q4 2024. Overall, bilateral trade was worth £6.3 billion in 2023, as reported by the Department for Business and Trade.
Linking Palestinian recognition to a ceasefire while Israel carries out genocide, starvation, and the destruction of civilian life is morally indefensible,” said Green. “It rewards aggression, and emboldens an extremist government.”
[ENDS]
Notes:
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