Britain could officially recognise a Palestinian state after cease-fire, says top UK diplomat

Britain's top diplomat, former prime minister David Cameron on Thursday (Feb 1st) said that his country could officially recognise a Palestinian state after a cease-fire. Speakingduring a visit to Lebanon, hesaid this could be done without waiting for the outcome of what could be years-long talks on a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians.

Terms and conditions applied

The British Foreign Secretary said that the UK's recognition of an independent State of Palestine "can't come at the start of the process, but it doesn't have to be the very end of the process."

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"It could be something that we consider as this process, as this advance to a solution, becomes more real," said Cameron.

"What we need to do is give the Palestinian people a horizon towards a better future, the future of having a state of their own."

However, he stated that no recognition could come while Hamas remained in Gaza.

"You can't have a two-state solution with Gaza still controlled by the people responsible for 7 October," he said, referring to the Hamas attack that triggered the ongoing war in Gaza.

Cameron also said the first step towards this must be a "pause in the fighting" in Gaza, which he said would eventually turn into "a permanent, sustainable ceasefire".

The ex-prime minister labelled the prospect "absolutely vital for the long-term peace and security of the region."

International support for two-state

Globally, many Western nations, including the United Kingdom and the United States, have voiced their support for the idea of an independent Palestinian state existing alongside Israel, reports The Guardian. However, they stress that Palestinian independence must come as part of a negotiated settlement.

Israel and its Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have consistently been against the creation of an independent Palestinian state after the end of the ongoing war. Netanyahu, in December, even boasted that he was instrumental in stopping Palestine's statehood.

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Speaking at a press conference in Tel Aviv, he claimed that he had halted the progression of the Oslo peace process. Calling the Oslo Accords "a fateful mistake", he said that Israel would not "repeat the mistake of Oslo".

As per news outlet Common Dreams, he also said that the results of the "little Palestinian state in Gaza" brought about by the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza in 2005 demonstrated the dangers of allowing Palestinian sovereignty in the West Bank.

(With inputs from agencies)