What recognising a Palestinian state actually means

The announcement came ahead of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in New York.

While Sir Keir Starmer signalled the move in July, it was not made official before Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK, reportedly due to fears it could have dominated the meeting with the US president.

Here is what you need to know about the significance of recognising a Palestinian state.

What’s changed?

The UK has recognised Palestine as a state, acknowledging all the legal rights and obligations of statehood.

Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy said it will have little immediate impact but will sustain hopes of an eventual two-state solution with a Palestinian state existing alongside Israel.

The UK government now calls the West Bank and Gaza “Palestine” instead of the “Occupied Palestinian Territories”, and has made the changes across its website.

The Foreign Office has also updated its travel advice map of the region to use “Palestine”.

Diplomatic rights

The move means Palestine will have full diplomatic rights and missions so far as the UK is concerned.

The Foreign Office said Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper will write to her Palestinian counterpart in “due course to lay out the process for establishing full diplomatic relations”.

Currently, the Palestinian Authority (PA) delegation to the UK is not at embassy level and operates as a “diplomatic mission” based in Hammersmith, west London.

Embassy status would give the delegations protection and privileges under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

What is the current international status of Palestinian statehood?

The PA, led by President Mahmoud Abbas, is internationally recognised as representing the Palestinian people.

The governing body exercises limited self-rule in parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank under agreements with Israel. It issues Palestinian passports and runs the Palestinian health and education systems.

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However, some trade, investment, educational and cultural exchanges are restricted by Israel, and there are currently no Palestinian airports.

The landlocked West Bank can only be reached through Israel or through the Israeli-controlled border with Jordan. Israel also controls all access to the Gaza Strip.

Much of what would form a potential Palestinian state has been under Israeli military occupation for more than half a century.

Under the Montevideo Convention of 1933, there are several criteria before Palestine can be recognised as a sovereign state under international law.

The process requires the state to have:
• A permanent population;
• A defined territory;
• An effective government and international relations;
• Formal diplomatic processes including embassies, ambassadors and treaties.

The UK did not sign the 1933 convention, but in July, some of Britain’s top lawyers wrote a letter to the government’s top legal adviser warning that recognising a Palestinian state could breach the convention, which they said has become part of “customary law”.

But others, including Philippe Sands KC, a professor of law at University College London, argued against this. He told The Guardian the UN’s top court, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), has recognised that Palestinians have a right to “self-determination” – meaning a country determines its own statehood and forms its own government.

Is the move just symbolic?

China, India, Russia and many Arab states have recognised Palestinian independence for decades, but largely see it as a symbolic gesture, which has little influence on what happens on the ground.

However, in the UK’s case, recognising a Palestinian state could put the two on “equal footing” according to the Palestinian ambassador to the United Kingdom, Husam Zomlot.

This could result in strategic partnerships or lead to steps such as banning products that come from Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories, Vincent Fean, a former British consul general to Jerusalem, told Reuters.

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French President Emmanuel Macron, who was the first leader of a G7 country to endorse recognition, said the recognition would also come with a commitment that the PA would enact reforms, which, he says, would put it in a better position to govern a post-war Gaza.

Why is the UK acting now?

Sir Keir Starmer said in July that the time to recognise Palestine is now, as it would have the highest impact given the hope of a two-state solution – a “secure” Israel alongside a “viable” Palestinian state – was at risk.

He said it was part of an “eight-part plan” agreed with France and Germany, but denied it represented a U-turn after pressure from Labour MPs, saying instead it was always part of the plan to recognise Palestine.

Pressure has also been mounting on Sir Keir after Israel began a major ground offensive to take Gaza City on 16 September.

Despite widespread condemnation, Israeli tanks and troops have continued to push deeper into the city in a bid to destroy Hamas and force the release of the remaining Israeli hostages.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper called the operation “utterly reckless and appalling”.

The UK’s official declaration comes days before the annual gathering of world leaders at the UN General Assembly, where Gaza will be a major topic of discussion.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to talk at the assembly, but Mr Abbas has not been granted a US visa. It is likely he will instead appear via video.

What countries do (and do not) recognise Palestine?

As of 23 September, an estimated 157 out of 193 United Nations member states recognise Palestine. This includes more than a dozen in Europe, including Spain, Ireland and Norway.

Click, zoom in or search for a country to see their stance on recognising a Palestinian state:

Recognition from countries vs the United Nations

Without a full seat at the UN, the PA only has limited ability to conduct bilateral relations. This means a delegation officially representing the State of Palestine has permanent observer status but no voting rights.

No matter how many individual countries recognise Palestinian independence, full UN membership requires the approval of the Security Council.

Approval requires at least nine votes in favour and no vetoes by the permanent ‘big five’ member states: UK, US, France, Russia and China.

If the Council approves the request, it goes to the General Assembly for approval, where a two-thirds majority is needed.

A state cannot join the UN without the backing of both the Security Council and the General Assembly.

In 2011, the Security Council looked at an application for Palestine to become a permanent member for several weeks but it was unable to reach a unanimous position, so a formal vote never took place.

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Most recently, on 18 September, the US vetoed a Security Council resolution that had demanded an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all hostages, saying the effort did not go far enough in condemning Hamas.

How have Palestinians and the Israelis responded?

When the UK, France and Canada announced in July they were planning to recognise Palestine as a state, the PA’s leader Mr Abbas expressed “thanks and appreciation” to all three countries.

Mr Netanyahu condemned the move, saying recognising a Palestinian state would be a “launch pad to annihilate Israel – not to live in peace beside it”.

He says Israel will never give up ultimate security control of Gaza or the West Bank, and the decision to recognise Palestine as a state “constitutes a reward for Hamas and harms efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and a framework for the release of hostages”.

What about America?

The US, Israel’s closest ally, also remains opposed to official recognition of a Palestinian state.

During a press conference with Sir Keir in the UK on 18 September, Mr Trump told reporters he has a “disagreement” with his British counterpart over it.

In reaction to European allies recognising Palestinian independence, the US has imposed sanctions on Palestinian officials.

Within the US Senate, however, a group of Democratic senators have introduced a resolution to try and urge recognition of a Palestinian state – showing some divide in America’s two main political parties.

However, the resolution is unlikely to pass the chamber, where Republicans have a 53-47 majority.

How does this all link to a two-state solution?

Simply put, a two-state solution is widely regarded as the most viable framework for enabling Palestinian independence.

It would see an independent Palestinian state established alongside the existing state of Israel – giving both peoples their own territory.

Earlier in September, the UN General Assembly voted overwhelmingly – 142 votes in favour – to endorse a declaration outlining the “tangible, time bound, and irreversible steps” towards a two-state solution.

The declaration condemns the October 7 attacks by Hamas and the retaliatory action by Israel against civilians and infrastructure in Gaza. Israel and the US were among 10 member states that voted against the resolution.

The Palestinians seek an independent state in the occupied West Bank, annexed East Jerusalem and Gaza, territories that have been occupied by Israel since the 1967 Six-Day War.

Mr Netanyahu and most of Israel’s political class have long been opposed to Palestinian statehood, and argue that it would reward militants after October 7.

One of the biggest obstacles to a two-state solution would be deciding what the borders of a potential Palestinian state would be.

Many believe they should be the same ones that existed before 1967, but since then, increasing numbers of Israeli settlements have been established inside the West Bank, with around 600,000 Israelis now living there and in occupied East Jerusalem.

What recognising a Palestinian state actually means

Skynews