British PM Starmer claims UK’s recognition of Palestinian state facilitated Gaza deal

The British Prime Minister Keir Starmer claimed on Tuesday that London’s unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state facilitated the Gaza ceasefire deal that U.S. President Donald Trump brokered. 

Starmer who earlier this week attended the signing of Trump’s Gaza Peace Plan in Egypt, recalled that Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said the United Kingdom played an important role "in assisting and coordinating efforts that have led us to this historic day."

Addressing the House of Commons in London, the British premier said he was “proud” of Witkoff’s recognition of Britain’s role in securing the ceasefire in Gaza. 

“He knows absolutely the role we played, and this house should be proud that we played that role,” Starmer stated. He further stressed London’s alleged close cooperation with the United States in achieving peace in the Middle East. 

“We are a trusted partner [with the U.S.] working both before this peace deal and afterwards.” 

“We’ve worked behind the scenes for months with the US, Arab, and European nations to help deliver a ceasefire, get the hostages out, get aid in, and secure a better future for Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank,” Starmer added.

Last month, the UK joined France, Canada and other Western nations in formally recognizing the “State of Palestine,” a move that was vocally criticized by the United States and Israel as a reward for Hamas terror and the Oct. 7 massacre of 1,200 Israelis and kidnapping of 251 people from Israel. Starmer therefore decided to announce London’s diplomatic recognition after Trump’s visit to the UK was concluded. Both Washington and Jerusalem warned, on multiple occasions, that the unilateral recognition of Palestine made a ceasefire deal more difficult to achieve since it rewarded Hamas to continue with its belligerent actions. 

Ignoring the previous tensions with Washington and Jerusalem, Starmer claimed on Tuesday that the Gaza ceasefire agreement was only made possible after the decision to recognize the State of Palestine, a decision “taken alongside our allies, France, Canada, Australia, and others, it 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.”

Starmer claimed that he had discussed London’s diplomatic recognition move with Trump during his visit to the UK. 

“That’s what grown-up responsible partners do,” he argued. 

However, the U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee dismissed Starmer’s claims, saying it was “delusional” to believe that London had played any central role in Trump’s Gaza ceasefire deal. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio assessed that London’s unilateral diplomatic recognition delayed the Gaza deal by up to two months. In July, Rubio blasted France for announcing its intention to unilaterally recognizing Palestine as a “reckless decision” that rewards Hamas. 

“This reckless decision only serves Hamas propaganda and sets back peace. It is a slap in the face to the victims of October 7th,” Rubio wrote at the time on 𝕏. 

The British Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel echoed similar sentiments following Starmer’s controversial claim. 

 “I think we have to be honest about the fact that Britain has had no role, no role whatsoever,” Patel said. 

“I think it’s extraordinary that Keir Starmer apparently is going to Egypt tomorrow when we’ve got plenty of domestic issues that he should be resolving and sorting out,” she added.

The British opposition leader Kemi Badenoch said she was “surprised” to hear that the British prime minister tried to take credit for Trump’s Gaza deal. 

“We all know that the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned this recognition, saying it had made ceasefire negotiations harder,” Badenoch said. “The truth is, as historic events have unfolded in the Middle East, Britain has been out of step with the US."

Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel also argued that London’s unilateral diplomatic recognition made it more difficult to achieve the Gaza deal. 

“The declaration of the Palestinian state during a very sensitive time two months ago, when the teams were already around the table negotiating, when we truly believed we were able to reach a deal, the message that the UK government sent Hamas was the message that the longer they continue this war, [the more] they will be rewarded,” Haskel told Sky News.