Labour MPs are urging the British government to join an upcoming French-Saudi initiative to recognise Palestinian statehood, amid growing diplomatic momentum ahead of a UN conference scheduled for June.
France and Saudi Arabia will co-chair the summit in New York, which French President Emmanuel Macron has described as a “decisive” moment. He confirmed: “We must move toward recognition [of a Palestinian state] and so, in the coming months, we will.”
Labour’s Emily Thornberry, chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said the UK should seize the opportunity: “We need to do it with friends. We need to do it with the French. There are a lot of other countries sitting back and waiting.” She warned that without swift Western action, “there would be no Palestine left to recognise.”
Chris Doyle, head of the Council for Arab-British Understanding (CAABU), echoed the call, noting that recognition by both France and the UK—two permanent UN Security Council members—would send a powerful message. He warned that Israeli annexation and settlement expansion could soon make a two-state solution unviable.
The Foreign Office has not publicly commented but maintains that it will recognise Palestine at a moment of “maximum impact,” as per a report by the Guardian. Former Foreign Secretary David Cameron previously stated such recognition need not come at the end of peace negotiations.
Saudi Arabia has backed the push, demanding any regional peace include a path to a sovereign Palestinian state on 1967 borders. Despite sporadic speculation of normalisation with the occupation state, Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman previously accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.
With 148 of 193 UN members recognising Palestine, France’s move would pile pressure on the UK and the other G20 states still withholding recognition.
READ: France could recognise Palestinian state ‘in June’: Macron