UK Ignored Israeli Warnings on Palestinian State Recognition, Report Reveals
Israel urged the UK not to unconditionally recognize a Palestinian state while hostages were held in Gaza, but London ignored the warnings, a British report reveals. Families of hostages and critics condemned the move as a betrayal that rewarded terror.
The Israeli government strongly urged the United Kingdom not to unconditionally recognize a Palestinian state while Israeli hostages remain captive in Hamas tunnels, but London chose to ignore the warnings, according to a new report by the British newspaper The Jewish Chronicle. Official sources in Jerusalem stated they warned the British government that such a move during sensitive negotiations could strengthen Hamas's position, sabotage talks, and directly endanger the lives of the hostages.
A turning point in relations was marked on September 21, 2025, when then-British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced official recognition as a historic step for peace, while 48 hostages remained in Gaza under starvation and abuse. Twenty-two days later, the remaining hostages were released under a ceasefire agreement brokered by Donald Trump. Starmer claimed recognition was not a reward for Hamas, but the terror organization celebrated: senior figure Ghazi Hamad defined the wave of international recognitions as a fruit of the October 7 attacks, and another official, Mahmoud Mardawi, called it a victory.
Sharon Sharabi, whose brother Eli was held captive for 491 days and whose wife Lian and two daughters Noya and Yahel—who held British citizenship—were murdered in the massacre, sharply criticized the move. Ziv Abud, a Nova festival survivor who campaigned for 505 days to free her partner and now husband Elia Cohen, joined the condemnation. Both accused London of moral betrayal and handing a diplomatic achievement to terror without conditioning it on hostage release.
Attorney Adam Rose, who represented hostage families with British ties, told The Jewish Chronicle that recognition was Labour Party policy and a deal with Arab nations in exchange for calls to release hostages. He also revealed that Starmer's promise to toughen sanctions against Hamas supporters was unfulfilled.
A former Labour minister also called the disregard for Israel's warnings a monstrous betrayal of British values driven by a cynical pursuit of Muslim votes. Conversely, the British Foreign Office stated it is proud of recognizing a Palestinian state and that there is no evidence the step endangered hostages or negotiations. Since Andy Burnham assumed the premiership succeeding Starmer, relations have deteriorated further, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described them as not good.
