No 10 declines to say if Palestine to be recognised with Hamas in power
Downing Street declined to say whether the UK Government would recognise Palestine with Hamas still in power after the militant group reportedly described statehood as “one of the fruits of October 7”.
Number 10 also refused to be drawn on whether the release of all Israeli hostages was a condition for recognition, but insisted they must be freed “unconditionally and immediately”.
Concerns have been raised over the UK’s plans to recognise a Palestinian state after Hamas member Ghazi Hamad appeared to claim the “fruits” of October 7 had caused the world to “open its eyes to the Palestinian issue”.
Ceasefire
Asked on Monday whether formalising the move without a ceasefire could embolden Hamas to hold onto Israeli captives, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said the UK Government would assess the situation in September.
“The Prime Minister has been absolutely clear that, on October 7, Hamas perpetrated the worst massacre in Israel’s history,” he said.
“Every day since then that horror has continued… as the Foreign Secretary said over the weekend, Hamas are rightly pariahs who can have no role in Gaza’s future.”
Asked whether a Palestinian state could be recognised while Hamas are still holding hostages, the spokesman said that “we’ll make an assessment ahead of the UN General Assembly on how far the parties have met the steps that we’ve set out”.
“We’ve been very clear that Hamas can have no role in the future governments of Gaza… We’ve also been clear that they must disarm, must release all the hostages.”
Inalienable right
On whether the step could be taken while Hamas remain in power, the official said the UK Government was clear that “Hamas are not the Palestinian people”.
“It is the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to have recognition along the lines and the steps that we’ve previously set out,” he said.
“We’ve also been very clear it cannot be in the hands of Hamas, a terrorist group, to have a veto over recognition of Palestine.”
Videos released by militant groups Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad last week appeared to show Israeli hostages in a visibly fragile state.
Number 10 condemned the images as “completely abhorrent”.
Meanwhile, Mr Hamad reportedly told the Al Jazeera news outlet: “The initiative by several countries to recognise a Palestinian state is one of the fruits of October 7.”
About 1,200 people were killed by Hamas militants in the 2023 attack on Israel that sparked the war and another 251 were abducted.
Malnourishment
Israel’s retaliatory military offensive has killed more than 60,800 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count, but its figures are seen by the UN and other independent experts as the most reliable count of casualties.
The UK and Jordan have been working together to air drop aid amid warnings of widespread malnourishment in Gaza.
It comes as Britain seeks to put pressure on Israel to change course with a plan to recognise a Palestinian state in September ahead of the UN General Assembly.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said the UK would only refrain from recognising Palestine if Israel allows more aid into Gaza, stops annexing land in the West Bank, agrees to a ceasefire and signs up to a long-term peace process over the next two months.
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Impossible if the Hamas fascists are in charge. The UK needs to work with the Arab nations which are trying to get rid of Hamas and then work with them to build a non-Hamas Palestinian state.
I thought that was .made clear in the original statement including the return of hostages.
This seems to me to be heading towards the “How many angels on the head of a pin” territory. The right wing Israeli Government appears to be pushing for the implementation of the Greater Israel Plan (See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_Israel) in which a Palestinian state does not exist. While the US continues to support and finance Israel the chances of them giving up any occupied land is probably zero. The only chance of creating a state of Palestine in the area will be if Israel is militarily defeated and the UN or the occupying power would then be able to re-allocate the… Read more »
The condition for Palestine acceptance and peace in promised land is that both Hamas and the current zionist government should resign. Both states need fresh elections.
I think Hamas and the hostages are the sticking points for HMG.
Considering how the zionist government attacked a sovereign country without provocation, Allah willing they will be overthrown. A new Palestine state would never be safe from them.
Starmer should grow a spine and join the other 147 countries that all ready recognise Palestine, stop this pathetic game he’s playing and apply full sanctions on Israel immediately.
If you think cardboard Conservative Keir Starmer genuinely wants to recognise a Palestinian statehood are sadly deluded. He doesn’t see Palestinians as human beings suffering. It’s just political posturing. He’s an atypical egotist who loves the sound of his own bloody boring monotone voice. Notice how Starmer has put a Trumpian style timescale of September unless Israel, who as I write are still killing desperate men women and children in Gaza waiting for food, beside those emaciated slowing starving to death. Apparently, unless baby butcher Benjamin Netanyahu allows more aid into Gaza and stops annexing land in the West Bank… Read more »
The PA can be declared as the government of a new Palestinian state which would make Hamas illegitimate. Assuming Hamas are genuinely working for the Palestinian people they should have no qualms about handing over to the PA.