Speaking in London Tuesday, the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer Starmer said the UK will recognize Palestine in front of the United Nations in September if Israel fails to “move toward peace.” 

Starmer began his speech highlighting “the horrors” experienced throughout the region following the terrorist actions of Hamas on October 7, 2023. Starmer called on Hamas to release hostages but chastised Israel for creating an “intolerable situation” in Gaza, and declared his intention to recognize Palestinian statehood if a ceasefire were not reached within the next month.

Starmer’s statement comes only days after France’s President Emmanuel Macron announced that his nation will now recognize the state of Palestine. Over the weekend, President Donald Trump said there is “real starvation” in Gaza during his meeting with Starmer in Scotland and expressed indifference to whether the UK recognized a Palestinian state.