AMMAN — Jordan has welcomed British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s announcement that the United Kingdom intends to officially recognise the State of Palestine during the upcoming United Nations General Assembly meetings in September.

 

In a statement on Tuesday, the Foreign Ministry described the move as a “step in the right direction” toward advancing a two-state solution and ending the Israeli occupation.

 

The ministry’s spokesperson Sufian Qudah said Jordan values the UK’s position, calling it a significant development that counters ongoing efforts to deny the Palestinian people’s inalienable right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent and sovereign state on their national land.

 

Qudah also said that the UK’s announcement aligns with growing international momentum to recognise a sovereign Palestinian state based on the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with the two-state framework endorsed by international law and the Arab Peace Initiative.

 

He also underscored the importance of the ongoing high-level international conference on the Palestinian issue currently underway in New York, co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France, which seeks to mobilise international support for Palestinian statehood as a pathway to achieving lasting peace and stability in the region.

 

Starmer has said that the UK will recognise a Palestinian state at a UN meeting in September unless Israel meets certain conditions

 

He says the recognition will happen unless the Israeli government takes "substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza", including a ceasefire and a commitment to a long-term peace process.

 

Israel said Tuesday it "rejected" Starmer's announcement that Britain will recognise a Palestinian state unless Israel acts to end the war in Gaza.

 

"Israel rejects the statement by the prime minister of the United Kingdom", the foreign ministry posted on X, adding that the move "constitutes a reward for Hamas and harms efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza,” according to AFP.