Great Britain is discussing with France plans to announce the recognition of Palestine as early as the summer of 2025, writes the British newspaper The Guardian.
According to the publication, this step may coincide with the international conference organized under the auspices of the UN from June 2 to 4 to implement the plan “two states for two peoples“.
On Wednesday, speaking before a British parliamentary committee, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy confirmed for the first time that London and Paris are discussing the issue of recognizing Palestine in connection with the upcoming conference, co-organized by Saudi Arabia Arabia. He previously stressed that a necessary condition for the recognition of Palestinian statehood would be the complete removal of Hamas representatives from power in the Gaza Strip and the abandonment of autonomy by the movement's leaders.
The recognition of Palestine by two permanent members of the UN Security Council could give a new impetus to efforts on the issue of a Palestinian-Israeli ceasefire, but there are many diplomatic obstacles on the way to it, the newspaper writes.
One of the main ones will be resistance from Israel, whose leadership believes that the recognition of Palestine will strengthen the positions of Hamas and Iran.
In addition, as Lamy emphasized in his speech, London does not want the recognition of Palestine by Britain and France to be a purely symbolic gesture. According to him, such a step should be taken at a time when it can have the maximum effect, changing the situation in the region for the better.
On April 9, French President Emmanuel Macron said that Paris could recognize Palestinian statehood in June. In 2024, with the worsening situation in the Middle East, the authorities of Ireland, Spain and Norway announced the recognition of the State of Palestine. Israel responded by recalling its ambassadors from Dublin, Madrid and Oslo for consultations. At the same time, the heads of diplomatic missions of Ireland, Spain and Norway were summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Jewish state.