2024-02-02T05:47:03+00:00
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/ British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said that his country could officially recognize the Palestinian state after a ceasefire in Gaza, without waiting for the outcome of years of talks between Israel and the Palestinians on the two-state solution.
Cameron, the former British Prime Minister, made the remarks during a visit to Lebanon on Thursday aimed at calming regional tensions.
He stated that recognition cannot take place as long as Hamas is present in Gaza, but recognition can take place while Israel’s negotiations with Palestinian leaders continue.
He added that the UK’s recognition of an independent Palestinian state, including at the United Nations, “cannot come at the beginning of the process, but it does not necessarily have to come at the end of the process.”
Britain, the United States and other Western countries supported the idea of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel as a solution to the conflict, but said Palestinian independence should come within the framework of a negotiated settlement.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly rejected the creation of an independent Palestinian state after the war, and in recent weeks has even boasted that he was instrumental in preventing the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Recognition of a Palestinian state by some of Israel’s allies without Tel Aviv’s consent could isolate Israel and pressure it to return to the negotiating table.