“So far as our policy is concerned, I’ll determine our policy, not follow anyone else.”
Labour leader Keir Starmer has suggested that the UK could recognise Palestine as an independent state even if the United States or Israel does not do so.
Speaking at a press conference following the end of this week’s Nato summit in Washington, the Prime Minister reiterated his position that recognising Palestine needed to be “part of the process” of securing peace in the region.
The Labour leader was asked whether he would be willing to act on recognising Palestine before the United States or Israel, to which he replied: “So far as our policy is concerned, I’ll determine our policy, not follow anyone else.”
Starmer also repeated his calls for a ceasefire, telling journalists at the NATO summit that a ceasefire “needs to be a foot in the door for a process towards a two-state solution, a viable Palestinian state alongside a safe and secure Israel”.
He went on to add: “We don’t have either of those at the moment. That is the process that we all should work on, we’ve been discussing it with colleagues here in bilaterals and recognising Palestine is part of that process.
“And part of that process is important, rather than the end of the process, because this is a right the Palestinian people have, it’s not in the gift of anyone.”
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
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