What Starmer’s plan for the UK to recognize a Palestinian state means

Britain has announced that it will recognize a Palestinian state in September unless Israel agrees to a ceasefire in Gaza, stops building settlements in the West Bank and commits to a two-state solution.

The U.K. followed France, which declared last week that it will recognize Palestinian statehood at the United Nations General Assembly in September.

More than 140 countries have already taken that step, but France and Britain are significant as members of the Group of Seven and the U.N. Security Council. The two countries hope their bold – if largely symbolic – diplomatic moves will help add pressure on Israel to ease a catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Gaza and breathe life into a moribund peace process.