Starmer’s two-state ultimatum

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Wednesday, 30 July 2025 Welcome to From the Editor – the very best from our newsroom delivered to your inbox daily. Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of “rewarding Hamas” following his threat to recognise a Palestinian state if Israel refuses to end its war in Gaza. The move carries profound symbolic weight, Adrian Blomfield, our Senior Foreign Correspondent, suggests, owing to the key historical role Britain played in shaping the present-day contours of the Holy Land. Below, he weighs up how much of an impact Sir Keir’s geopolitical threat could have. Elsewhere, tsunami alerts have been issued in Japan and parts of the US after a massive earthquake in the ocean off the coast of Russia. You can follow the latest updates on this below. I’d love to hear what you think of this newsletter. You can email me your feedback here. Chris Evans, Editor P.S. You can enjoy three months’ free access to The Telegraph. Cancel at any time. Today’s headlines US and Japan on tsunami watch after earthquake rocks Russia Arab world tells Hamas to lay down arms and end rule of Gaza ‘Forever smiling’ rugby player and his father killed in Southwark stabbing All new UK cars will have breathalysers Rotherham police sexually abused us too, say five grooming victims Apple to launch first foldable iPhone Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau spotted having dinner together Britain must wake up Follow rigorous reporting on the threats to our democracy Enjoy three months’ free access to The Telegraph. Cancel at any time. Subscribe now   Starmer cannot simply conjure up a Palestinian state – here’s why Adrian Blomfield Senior Foreign Correspondent   Sir Keir Starmer’s threat to recognise Palestine if Israel does not end its war in Gaza and commit to a two-state solution carries profound symbolic weight. Britain, more than any other country, shaped the present-day contours of the Holy Land when it issued the Balfour Declaration in 1917. Lord Balfour’s 67-word statement famously – or infamously, depending on your perspective – supported the “establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people”, paving the way for Israel’s creation three decades later. Many British diplomats, Labour backbenchers and Cabinet ministers, see recognising Palestine as a way of redressing the historical imbalance, placing Israel and Palestine on an equal footing. They hope it will add to mounting international pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu to halt the war in Gaza and pave the way for an equitable peace settlement between Israel and the Palestinians. Gazans gather around aid trucks in Khan Younis Unlike France, which last week became the first G7 state to announce formal recognition, Britain’s stance remains conditional. Sir Keir says recognition will be withheld if Israel reaches a ceasefire, pledges to abandon threats to annex the West Bank and commits “to a long-term peace process that delivers a two-state solution”. Yet these conditions are unlikely to be met. Shortly after the Prime Minister’s announcement, Netanyahu hit back and accused Sir Keir of rewarding Hamas. The move also drew criticism from the US, with Tammy Bruce, a US state department official, describing it as a “slap in the face” for the victims of the Oct 7 massacre. UK recognition of Palestine in September, therefore, appears almost inevitable. Beyond symbolism, however, the move will have little tangible effect. After all, 147 countries have already recognised Palestine without altering its prospects for statehood. Recognition also cannot conjure a functioning state, and a viable one has never looked less likely. Palestine has two rival governments: the Palestinian Authority, led by Mahmoud Abbas, in the West Bank – which recognises Israel – and Hamas in Gaza, which does not. So why recognise a state, particularly since earlier recognitions achieved little? Proponents say it sends two messages. Firstly, that some of Israel’s closest allies have lost patience with Netanyahu’s war in Gaza, and, secondly, they argue it could help revive the long-dormant two-state solution. Officials now hope unilateral recognition will press Netanyahu into negotiations and bolster the moderate Palestinian leadership of Abbas against Hamas. That outcome seems doubtful. Read Adrian’s analysis in full here ➤   Opinion and analysis   Nigel Farage Leader of Reform UK ‘Savile’ smear won’t stop me defending free speech Continue reading ➤     Allison Pearson Award-winning journalist and Telegraph columnist Everything frowned on in Starmer’s Britain is being celebrated thanks to the plucky Lionesses Continue reading ➤     Claire Allfree Telegraph columnist The male novelist isn’t extinct – just look at this year’s Booker longlist Continue reading ➤   Free thinking. Straight talking. Explore more opinion from the nation’s leading comment writers Enjoy three months’ free access to The Telegraph. Cancel at any time. Subscribe now     Must reads The game-changing new missile that could halt China How TikTok helped a group of Dorset boomers revive their doomed local pub The hollowing-out of middle-class jobs like mine has left me lonely and terrified Thirteen ways to leave your holiday healthier and happier I asked for a PSA on a whim, then found out I had prostate cancer   The best of the Telegraph   Ranked: The 30 greatest fast bowlers in Test history Earlier this summer, Michael Vaughan, England’s captain when the Ashes were regained in 2005, said that India’s Jasprit Bumrah was the best white-ball bowler there has been. That set Scyld Berry, Telegraph Sport’s cricket doyen, on the case to reveal his best 30 pace bowlers to have played Test cricket. His conclusions prompted fierce debate in The Telegraph’s comments – and it’s not too late to join in. See the full list here ➤   Discuss Every day our journalists discuss the day’s biggest issues with subscribers on our app and on our website. Yesterday, Lucy Burton, our Employment Editor, responded to a reader’s comments under her piece: ‘Visit the shops and you’ll discover why the young don’t want to work’. JJ Jones wrote: 30 years ago you could build a career in retail and buy a house. Now you can’t and you’ll be better off on benefits. The young are only acting rationally – don’t hate the player, hate the game (or in this case the politicians that have made it what it is).   Lucy Burton replied: That’s exactly it – young people no longer feel like working hard means financial security. Wages haven’t kept up with property prices (a 10 per cent deposit on the average house is only £3,000 less than an entire year’s take-home pay for a worker on the average salary) and many who have purchased properties have relied on their parents. This then affects other decisions such as having children, with polls showing that many who want kids are putting it off for financial reasons. Coming up today At 3pm, Annabel Denham, Acting Comment Editor, will be in the comments on her column: ‘There is only one way Kemi Badenoch can defeat Nigel Farage ’. Catch up on yesterday’s episode of The Daily T to hear Camilla Tominey and Tim Stanley discuss the Southport attack one year on.   Get full access Unlock Britain’s best news app and our award-winning website Enjoy three months’ free access to The Telegraph. Cancel at any time. Subscribe now   Listen Click below to enjoy one of our agenda-setting podcasts   Puzzles 100 years of Telegraph Puzzles To celebrate 100 years of Telegraph Puzzles, we’re opening up our archives and inviting you to play some of our crosswords from historic days. Is the crossword passing on war secrets? Tackle the puzzle that saw its setter grilled by the security services. 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