The UK government’s decision to formally recognise the State of Palestine has drawn sharp criticism from senior British politician Kemi Badenoch, as well as from Israel and the United States.
The recognition, announced on Sunday, was made alongside similar declarations by France, Canada, Australia, and Portugal—marking a significant shift in diplomatic stance toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“We will all rue the day this decision was made. Rewarding terrorism with no conditions whatsoever put in place for Hamas,” Badenoch wrote in a post on X.
“It leaves hostages languishing in Gaza and does nothing to stop the suffering of innocent people caught in this war.”
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer had announced the move earlier in a video message, positioning it as a step toward resolving the long-standing conflict.
“Today, to revive the hope of peace for the Palestinians and Israelis, and a two-state solution, the United Kingdom formally recognises the State of Palestine,” he stated.
Badenoch, a staunch supporter of Israel’s ongoing military operations in Gaza, condemned the recognition as a politically motivated diversion. She accused Starmer and the Labour Party of using the announcement to deflect attention from domestic failings.
“It is because Labour cannot fix the big problems in our society that they focus on discredited student union campaigns to appease the hard left. They cannot fix the NHS, so they push assisted suicide. They cannot create jobs for young people, so they give them votes at 16,” she said.
She added, “They cannot sort out immigration, but they will recognise Palestine instead. This is the same man who paid £35bn of reparations to Mauritius along with the surrender of the Chagos islands.”
International reactions to the recognition have been equally severe. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the move as emboldening terrorism. “I have a clear message to those leaders who recognise a Palestinian state after the horrific massacre of October 7: You are giving a huge reward to terrorism,” he said. “And I have another message for you: It will not happen. A Palestinian state will not be established west of the Jordan River.”
The U.S. Mission to the United Nations echoed Israel’s stance, stating that the American position remains firmly opposed to any unilateral recognition of Palestinian statehood. “The Trump administration stands with Israel in unequivocally rejecting any effort to unilaterally recognise a Palestinian state or impose conditions on Israel, which would be an unconscionable reward for the heinous Hamas attack on Israel that massacred and brutally kidnapped Israelis and Americans,” the mission said.
The coordinated recognition by five Western nations marks a diplomatic turning point, but has deepened existing rifts among global powers on how to address the Israel-Palestine conflict, particularly in the aftermath of the October 7 Hamas attacks.
