UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer will gather his cabinet this week to discuss whether the UK should recognize a Palestinian state. For all his caution, he should lead them to agreement on doing so. Recognition is a purely symbolic step, but the value of that symbol has risen. It is one of several measures the UK should take to help build international pressure on Israel to end the death, displacement and near-famine in Gaza.
The prime minister is right to observe the drawbacks of recognizing Palestine. For a start, recognition of a state can only be done once. More than 140 countries have already done so, and as critics of recognition point out, that has not brought a state into existence, although delegates are gathering at the United Nations in New York this week for a conference to discuss practical steps toward a two-state solution.
The UK should recognize a Palestinian state now | Chatham House – International Affairs Think Tank
