Why in news?

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that the UK will recognise the State of Palestine at the upcoming UN General Assembly in September unless Israel agrees to a Gaza ceasefire, facilitates more humanitarian aid, and commits to a two-state peace process.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• Growing Global Momentum for Palestinian Statehood Recognition
• Current Palestine Recognition Drive: A Diplomatic Turning Point
• The Balfour Declaration: Britain’s Endorsement of a Jewish Homeland in Palestine
• Britain’s Role in Shaping Post-War Palestine and the Birth of Israel
• Britain’s Recognition of Palestine: A Symbolic Shift After a Century

Growing Global Momentum for Palestinian Statehood Recognition

• Following British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s announcement, French President Emmanuel Macron declared that France would formally recognise Palestinian statehood in September.
• Canada and Portugal have also expressed similar intentions.
• As the 21-month-long Gaza conflict continues, Israel faces a mounting diplomatic challenge, with an increasing number of its traditional Western allies shifting towards supporting Palestinian statehood.

Current Palestine Recognition Drive: A Diplomatic Turning Point

• Out of 193 UN member states, 147 have already recognised Palestine, but major Western powers had long resisted, linking recognition to a final Israel-Palestine peace settlement.
• That stance is now shifting. Russia and China, both UN Security Council (UNSC) permanent members, already recognise Palestine.
• If France and the UK follow through on their recent pledges, the U.S. will become the only P5 member opposing recognition, isolating itself diplomatically.
• The inclusion of France, the UK, and Canada—key G7 members—adds significant weight, potentially influencing others to follow.
• Britain’s move is especially historic, given its central role in the Israel-Palestine conflict since the 1917 Balfour Declaration, which endorsed the creation of a Jewish homeland in Palestine.

The Balfour Declaration: Britain’s Endorsement of a Jewish Homeland in Palestine

• Issued in November 1917, by British Foreign Secretary Sir Arthur Balfour to Zionist leader Lord Lionel Walter Rothschild, the Balfour Declaration marked Britain’s official support for establishing a Jewish national home in Palestine.
• At the time, Palestine was under Ottoman rule, with Jews comprising around 9% of its population.
• The declaration was driven by Britain’s desire to gain global Jewish support during World War I.
  • Earlier efforts, like the Uganda Plan of 1903, had proposed alternative Jewish homelands but were abandoned.
• The Balfour Declaration, later endorsed by the U.S., became a pivotal moment in Zionist history, legitimising Jewish claims to Palestine and shaping the geopolitical future of the region.

Britain’s Role in Shaping Post-War Palestine and the Birth of Israel

• After World War I, Britain found itself balancing conflicting promises—supporting both a Jewish homeland in Palestine and Arab independence.
• However, the secret Sykes-Picot Agreement with France had already divided Ottoman territories between them.
• Britain established a colonial administration in Palestine under a League of Nations Mandate, facilitating increased Jewish migration and the creation of parallel Jewish institutions, including paramilitary groups.
• By the end of World War II, Jews constituted 30% of Palestine’s population. Realising the Mandate was unworkable, Britain backed the idea of partition.
• In 1947, Britain informed the UN of its intention to end the Mandate by May 15, 1948.
• On May 14, 1948, Zionist leaders unilaterally declared the establishment of Israel, which was immediately recognised by the U.S., triggering the First Arab-Israel War.

Britain’s Recognition of Palestine: A Symbolic Shift After a Century

• Britain’s decision to recognise Palestine, 108 years after the Balfour Declaration, carries profound symbolic weight given its historic role in the Israel-Palestine conflict.
• While the recognition may not immediately alter Israel’s occupation, it signifies a major shift in Britain’s policy stance.
• With Israel facing global accusations of genocide and harrowing images of Gaza’s devastation circulating, it has become increasingly untenable for Western nations, including the UK, to support Israel unconditionally.
• Britain’s move reflects growing international pressure for a more balanced approach towards the Palestinian cause.