Sir Keir Starmer (Labour) has told MPs that recognising Palestine helped bring about peace in Gaza. The Prime Minister made the claim while addressing Parliament after returning from a peace summit in Egypt, where he said Britain had been able to work "behind the scenes" for a ceasefire "precisely because of the approach this Government takes".
Starmer specifically highlighted the decision to recognise Palestinian statehood as crucial. He said: "That does include our decision to recognise the state of Palestine. Because this move, taken alongside our allies France, Canada, Australia and others, helped lead to the historic New York declaration, where for the first time the entire Arab League condemned the atrocities of October 7, urged Hamas to disarm and, crucially, demanded that they end their rule in Gaza."
Trump's peace ceremony
Despite claiming credit for diplomatic groundwork, Starmer emphasised that the peace agreement belonged to US President Donald Trump. He said: "This is his deal." The agreement was signed by Trump at a ceremony in Sharm El Sheikh, along with negotiators from Egypt, Qatar and Turkey.
Israel and Hamas were not present at the summit. Monday saw all 20 remaining living Israeli hostages released by Hamas, while Israel released more than 1,900 prisoners and detainees under the first phase of the deal.
Relief and tribute
Starmer told MPs that Monday's deal provided "a moment of profound relief" as he paid tribute to both the hostages and civilians killed in Gaza. However, he stressed that the deal provided only "a chance to bring a terrible chapter in history, finally, to a close".
Negotiations will now follow on phase two of the deal, which involves Hamas laying down its weapons. The group is reported to have dismissed this possibility, while Gaza's rebuilding would fall under a "peace board" chaired by Trump and potentially including former prime minister Sir Tony Blair.
Implementation challenges
The Prime Minister warned that lasting peace would prove difficult. He told MPs: "While we celebrate the relief of peace today, making that peace last will be no less difficult a task, along with our allies, an absolute focus in the days and weeks ahead is the relentless implementation of this peace plan."
Starmer called for the remains of deceased hostages to be returned to their families "immediately" and urged Israel to lift "all restrictions" on aid entering Gaza. The UK will provide an additional £20 million in humanitarian aid for "water, sanitation and hygiene products" to people in the territory.
Conservative criticism
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch (Conservative) accused Starmer of "taking the wrong decisions" and diminishing the UK's "influence" in the Middle East. She said the Government had "strained" relations with Israel and "rewarded terrorism" by recognising Palestine.
Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
