Historic reversal: UK recognizes Palestinian state after century of support for Israel
By isabelle // 2025-09-22
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  • The UK, Canada, and Australia now formally recognize a Palestinian state, breaking with Israel and the U.S. ahead of the UN General Assembly.
  • Britain’s move is framed as correcting its 1917 Balfour Declaration, which promised a Jewish homeland but failed to protect Palestinian rights.
  • Israel condemns the decision as a reward for terrorism, while Hamas demands action to end the war and stop West Bank annexation.
  • The recognition reflects Western frustration with Israel’s Gaza war, which has killed over 65,000 Palestinians and expanded illegal settlements.
  • Symbolic but significant, the move may pressure other nations to follow, although U.S. opposition limits its immediate impact.
One hundred and eight years after Britain’s Balfour Declaration promised a Jewish homeland in Palestine while vaguely assuring the rights of its Arab inhabitants, the UK, Canada, and Australia have formally recognized a Palestinian state. The move, announced ahead of the UN General Assembly, marks a sharp diplomatic break with Israel and the United States, both of which oppose the decision. France is expected to follow suit, signaling a growing Western frustration with Israel’s conduct in Gaza and its expansion of settlements in the West Bank. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer framed the recognition as a step toward peace, declaring in a video message: “Today, to revive the hope of peace for the Palestinians and Israelis, and a two-state solution, the United Kingdom formally recognizes the State of Palestine.” The UK’s decision carries heavy historical weight, given its role in shaping the modern Middle East through the Balfour Declaration and its subsequent mandate over Palestine.

A colonial legacy corrected?

The 1917 Balfour Declaration, authored by then-Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour, pledged British support for “the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people” while vaguely promising “nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities.” Yet, as David Lammy, Britain’s foreign secretary, noted in July, that second promise was “not upheld.” The UK’s recognition of Palestine now is framed as an attempt to correct that historical injustice. Husam Zomlot, head of the Palestinian Mission to the UK, called the move “a moment when the UK Prime Minister and the British government, on behalf of their people, stand and say: ‘We must correct history, we must right the wrongs.’” For Palestinians, this recognition is long overdue. As Chris Doyle of the Council for Arab-British Understanding pointed out, “Many Palestinians would have liked to celebrate this symbolic moment but they cannot. The reality is that recognition will not end the bombing, the famine, the genocide nor the system of apartheid that Palestinians are enduring.”

Israel’s fury and the Hamas factor

Israel’s response was swift and furious. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the move as “a huge reward to terrorism,” referring to Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack that killed 1,200 Israelis and triggered the ongoing war in Gaza. “A Palestinian state will not be established west of the Jordan River,” Netanyahu declared, signaling defiance. His government has threatened unilateral steps, including potential annexation of parts of the West Bank—a move that would further inflame tensions. Hamas, meanwhile, welcomed the recognition but demanded “practical measures” to end the war and prevent Israeli annexation. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called it “an important step toward achieving a just and lasting peace in the region based on the two-state solution.”

A shifting Western stance

The UK’s decision reflects growing Western impatience with Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, which has killed more than 65,000 Palestinians, displaced most of the enclave’s population, and triggered accusations of genocide from UN experts. The war has also exposed the unchecked expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, land intended for a future Palestinian state. The UK’s memorandum of understanding with the Palestinian Authority explicitly rejects Israel’s claims to the West Bank and East Jerusalem, stating that “the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza, must be reunified under its sole authority.” Although it's largely symbolic, the recognition could pressure other Western nations to follow suit. France, a permanent UN Security Council member, is expected to announce its own recognition this week. Yet without support from the U.S., the move may have limited practical impact. For now, the UK’s decision stands as a rare rebuke to Israel from a historic ally. Whether it leads to meaningful change or remains a hollow gesture depends on what happens next in Gaza, the West Bank, and the halls of global power. One thing is clear: after 108 years of broken promises, the world is finally acknowledging what Palestinians have long demanded—the right to a state of their own. The question now is whether that state will ever be free.   Sources for this article include: MiddleEastEye.net APNews.com Reuters.com
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