David Cameron: UK Again Talks of Recognising Palestinian State

Britain’s former Prime Minister, now returned to frontline politics as the nation’s top diplomat, is again talking about recognising a Palestinian state despite Israel rejecting the idea, but this time adding the condition it would have to be without Hamas.

The United Kingdom would recognise a Palestinian state, but only once Gaza is no longer controlled by Hamas, Britain’s Foreign Minister Lord David Cameron said in Lebanon on Thursday. Per a Guardian report on the remarks Britain legitimising a Palestinian state could come even before the end of futuretalks between Israel and “Palestinian leaders”.

No moves could be made until Hamas was out of the picture, Cameron said, remarking: “you can’t have a two-state solution with Gaza still controlled by the people responsible for 7 October”

Cameron is reported to have said the “Palestinian people” should be given an incentive to move towards a peace without Hamas — their own state — by making that a condition. He said: “It could be something that we consider as this process, as this advance to a solution, becomes more real… 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.”

David Cameron Says UK Considering Recognising Palestinian Statehttps://t.co/eTHE7aFuq6

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Apparently making clear the United Kingdom now sees a ‘two-state solution’ as a foreign policy goal, Cameron is said to have told his audience that these developments are “absolutely vital for the long-term peace and security of the region”.

Given Hamas have made clear they have no intention of leaving Gaza, short of continued Israeli military action it is unclear how the circumstance Cameron describes could be realistically achieved, therefore.

The remarks clarify others by Britain’s Foreign Minister made days before when he told a meeting of the Conservative Middle East Council in London that: “we – with allies – will look at the issue of recognising a Palestinian state, including at the United Nations”. Cameron said the process should be “irreversible” and was hailed as the Palestinian ambassador to London who called the speech “historic”.

Husam Zomlot said of Cameron: “It is the first time a UK foreign secretary considers recognising the State of Palestine, bilaterally and in the U.N., as a contribution to a peaceful solution rather than an outcome… If implemented, the Cameron declaration would remove Israel’s veto power over Palestinian statehood [and] would boost efforts towards a two-state outcome.”