Is Starmer a coward? Vote here as PM waits for Trump to leave before Palestine recognition
Sir Keir Starmer will recognise a Palestinian state over the weekend, after Donald Trump concludes his state visit to the UK, reports have suggested. The Prime Minister has previously said he plans to recognise Palestinian statehood ahead of the United Nations General Assembly in New York this month, if Israel does not meet a series of conditions to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Sir Keir has held off on formally announcing the UK will recognise a Palestinian state until after Mr Trump leaves for fear it could dominate a Thursday news conference the two men plan to hold, according to the Times. The Prime Minister has found himself at odds with the US administration over the move, which is opposed to official recognition of Palestine. However, other nations, including France, Australia and Canada, have said they plan to take the same step at the UN gathering. So what do you think? Vote in our poll and join the debate in the comments section. Can't see the poll below? Click here.
Elsewhere, Sir Sadiq Khan has for the first time described the situation in Gaza as a “genocide”, in the latest domestic political intervention in the crisis in the Middle East by a senior Labour figure.
The Mayor of London told an audience at a people’s question time event: “I think what’s happening in Gaza is a genocide.
“When I see the images of the children starving, 20,000 children have starved because of the policies of the Israeli government; when I see the health system in Gaza collapsed; when I see the lack of supplies reaching people in need; when I see the famine that is man made; when I read the interim judgment of the ICJ, and then see a UN commission report this week; I think it’s inescapable to draw the conclusion in Gaza we are seeing before our very eyes a genocide.”
Sir Sadiq’s comments could prove a thorn in the side for the Prime Minister ahead of his meeting with Mr Trump on Thursday and the planned press conference.
The US president is no fan of London’s Mayor, and the pair have engaged in a long-running spat.
express.co.uk
