UK PM Starmer recalls Cabinet to discuss Gaza peace plan
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Mr Starmer is under mounting pressure from his own party to recognise a Palestinian state following similar moves by France.
PHOTO: REUTERS
LONDON - British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will hold an emergency meeting on July 29 to discuss the situation in Gaza – a rare step for the UK leader in recalling his Cabinet during the summer holidays.
Part of that discussion will be a proposed peace plan as he comes under mounting pressure from his own party to recognise a Palestinian state – something French President Emmanuel Macron on July 24 said France would do.
War has raged in Gaza between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas for the past 22 months, and Israel has been facing growing international criticism, which its government rejects, over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
But with warnings that people in Gaza are facing starvation, growing numbers of lawmakers in Mr Starmer's Labour Party want him to recognise a Palestinian state to put pressure on Israel.
In a meeting with US President Donald Trump in Scotland on July 28, Mr Starmer discussed the need for a ceasefire in Gaza and what he called the "revolting" humanitarian crisis.
Britain is working on the plan with France and Germany after a call between the leaders of the three countries on July 25
Mr Starmer has not shared details of the proposed peace plan, but had compared the proposals with the "coalition of the willing", the international effort to support Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire in its war with Russia.
His spokesman said he would discuss the plan with other international allies and countries in the Middle East.
British Foreign Minister David Lammy will attend a United Nations conference in New York on July 29 to urge support for a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians.
Successive British governments have said they will formally recognise a Palestinian state when the time is right, without ever setting a timetable or specifying the necessary conditions.
Mr Starmer has so far rejected plans to immediately recognise a Palestinian state, saying he was focused on “practical solutions”.
More than 200 British members of Parliament from nine parties signed a letter on July 25 calling for an immediate recognition of a Palestinian state. REUTERS
