Canada has become the latest G7 nation to announce a plan to recognise a Palestinian state as international pressure grows on Israel to end the war. In Gaza, medics say at least 48 people have been killed waiting for food. Listen to The World podcast as you scroll.
Thursday 31 July 2025 11:00, UK
An MP who pressured her own government to recognise a Palestinian state tells Sky News Hamas cannot have any role in discussions about the state.
MP Sarah Champion organised a letter to pressure the government to recognise a Palestinian state.
She tells presenter Kamali Melbourne she is “incredibly pleased” by Sir Keir Starmer’s decision to recognise a Palestinian state in September based on conditions placed upon Israel.
Champion says a Palestinian state would be key for “lasting peace” through the two-state solution.
But she warns Hamas could not have “any place in the creation of a Palestinian state.”
When pressed by Melbourne whether Hamas should have had conditions imposed on them by the UK too, she says: “I would have rather there just been a statement on the recognition and then, of course, we should be upholding conditions on both Israel and Hamas to make sure that the atrocities that are being carried out about civilians are stopped and the hostages get back, and that should be our absolute priority.
“But these are two separate issues.”
Champion adds: “No way does Hamas have any part in a Palestinian statehood discussion or way forward. We have to be 100% clear about that.”
Watch part of the interview below…
Stepping away from the Middle East briefly, let’s bring you some Gaza news from the US.
The US Senate has rejected a block on arms sales to Israel.
However, a growing number of Democrats voted to stop the shipments, leading to senator Bernie Sanders claiming the “tide is turning”.
Sanders has repeatedly tried to block the sale of offensive weapons to Israel over the last year.
While the package failed to gain passage, 27 Democrats voted in favour of one of the resolutions.
This marks more than half of the Democrats in the Senate.
The vote tally reflects growing discontent among some of Israel’s international allies.
Senator Patty Murray, who voted down similar resolutions from Sanders in the past, said she supported it this time.
“As a long-time friend and supporter of Israel, I am voting yes to send a message: the Netanyahu government cannot continue with this strategy,” she said in a statement.
Another Democratic senator, Dick Durbin, said it was “painful” to support the resolution.
“For many of us who have devoted our congressional careers to supporting Israel, standing by them through difficult times, it is impossible to really explain or defend what is going on today,” Durbin said.
“Gaza is starving and dying because of the policies of Bibi Netanyahu,” he added.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff has landed in Israel.
According to Israeli media outlet Ynet, Witkoff will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu around midday UK time.
It also reported he may visit Gaza, where he could visit an aid distribution centre operated by the US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
President Isaac Herzog said the meeting was “a vital and critical effort that must not be missed”.
A surgeon who evacuates children from Gaza to get them much-needed medical attention tells Sky News there is a “lack of action” in the UK to help get them out.
Dr Mubashir Cheema, a surgeon for Children Not Numbers, speaking to Breakfast Presenter Wilfred Frost, said the majority of children evacuated were taken to neighbouring countries like Egypt and Jordan.
France, Italy, Spain, Romania and the US had all taken children as well, Cheema added.
But he criticised the UK for not taking more – saying only one child had been brought to the country.
Cheema said that “lots of words have been thrown out,” by the government.
“So we’ve had lots of time, but not action,” he told us.
Watch the full interview below…
Here are some of the latest pictures from Gaza.
Mourners gathered for the funeral of Palestinians killed while trying to receive aid.
In our 6.43 post, we reported that at least 48 people had been killed while waiting for aid in northern Gaza, according to medics.
In a separate incident, more Palestinians were killed in an overnight Israeli strike on tents, the Nasser Hospital says.
Their funerals were also held this morning.
There has been a significant shift among G7 countries recently.
First, France, then the UK and now Canada have all said they plan to recognise a Palestinian state.
But what does recognising a Palestinian state mean?
Under the Montevideo Convention of 1933, there are several criteria before Palestine can be recognised as a sovereign state under international law.
The process requires the state to have:
Out of the 193 United Nations member states, almost 150 already recognise Palestine as a state as of March 2025.
Watch Mark Carney announce Canada’s decision here…
How does the UN admit new member states?
Countries usually apply to the United Nations secretary-general, who sends it to the Security Council for initial assessment and a potential vote.
Approval requires at least nine votes in favour and no vetoes by the UK, US, France, Russia or China.
If the Council approves the request, it goes to the General Assembly for approval, where a two-thirds majority is needed.
A state can’t join the UN without the backing of both the Security Council and General Assembly.
What happened to the Palestinian application in 2011?
The Security Council looked at the application for several weeks to see if it satisfied the conditions for membership.
However, it was unable to reach a unanimous position, so a formal vote never took place.
Even if it had cleared this step, the US said it was planning to veto the application.
Why have the UK, Canada and France acted now?
Sir Keir Starmer says the time to recognise Palestine is now, as it will have the highest impact, as the hope of a two-state solution – a “secure” Israel alongside a “viable” Palestinian state – is at risk.
He says it is part of an “eight-part plan”, already discussed with France and Germany, but denies it represents a U-turn after pressure from Labour MPs, saying instead it was always part of the plan to recognise Palestine.
Emmanuel Macron has been leaning towards recognising a Palestinian state for months as part of a bid to keep the idea of a two-state solution alive, despite pressure from other countries not to do so.
Canada’s Mark Carney has long said it would only recognise a Palestinian state at the conclusion of peace talks.
However, he warned that the reality on the ground in Gaza, and the starvation crisis, means “the prospect of a Palestinian state is literally receding before our eyes”.
Israelis tell Sky News what they think of Starmer’s decision…
What is a two-state solution?
Recognising Palestine presupposes support for a two-state solution.
A two-state solution would see an independent Palestinian state established alongside the existing state of Israel.
The Palestinians seek an independent state in the occupied West Bank, annexed East Jerusalem and Gaza, territories that have been occupied by Israel since the 1967 Six-Day War.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and most of Israel’s political class have long been opposed to Palestinian statehood, and argue that it would reward militants after the 7 October attacks launched by Hamas in 2023.
One of the biggest obstacles to a two-state solution would be deciding what the borders of a potential Palestinian state would be.
Many believe they should be the same ones that existed before 1967, but since then, increasing numbers of Israeli settlements have been established inside the West Bank, with around 600,000 Israelis now living there and in Occupied East Jerusalem.
How have Israel and Palestine responded?
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Israel has condemned the recent flurry of decisions.
The country’s foreign ministry said in a post on X: “The shift in the British Government’s position at this time, following the French move and internal political pressures, constitutes a reward for Hamas and harms efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and a framework for the release of hostages.”
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has strongly condemned France, saying recognising a Palestinian state now would be a “launch pad to annihilate Israel – not to live in peace beside it”.
The country’s foreign ministry also said Canada’s decision was “a reward for Hamas”.
Meanwhile, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Jerusalem expressed “thanks and appreciation” to the French leader.
The Palestinian Authority, which has limited power in the occupied West Bank, called Canada’s decision “courageous and principled” but made no mention of the conditions Mark Carney included.
What about other countries?
Palestinian Authority’s foreign ministry has welcomed Canada’s plan to recognise a Palestinian state, calling it a “courageous and principled decision”.
In a statement shared on social media, it added the move was an “important step toward achieving justice and peace”.
However, it made no mention of the conditions Prime Minister Mark Carney outlined.
One of these includes the Palestinian Authority committing to fundamental reform.
The Palestinian Authority has limited power over parts of the occupied West Bank and has no control over Gaza.
Government plans to recognise Palestinian statehood are doomed because of Hamas, the Conservatives have told Sky News.
Shadow chancellor Alex Burghart said Labour’s plans, announced two days ago “fall apart” the moment you look at the small print.
“If our country, or any other country, is saying that we’ll recognise Palestine, if Hamas isn’t part of that settlement, then it just isn’t going to happen,” he told Breakfast presenter Wilfred Frost.
Burghart added: “You know that Hamas and not about, lay down their weapons, they’re not about to go quietly into the night.
“You look at the statements that they were making, online and elsewhere yesterday and the day before, they were saying victory is within sight.
“So if that’s the condition, this isn’t going to happen. It’s just chat.”
Watch the interview here…
The government refused to tell Sky News whether the release of the hostages in Gaza is a condition of recognising a Palestinian state.
Small Business Minister Gareth Thomas was pressed multiple times by Breakfast presenter Wilfred Frost on the issue.
But he repeatedly refused to give a clear answer.
Speaking two days after Sir Keir Starmer first announced the policy, Thomas said: “We’ve always been clear that we want to recognise the state of Palestine, unless Israel meets the conditions that we have set out to end the violence that we say.
“But we’re also very clear that Hamas must release the remaining hostages and commit itself to a ceasefire and to disarm to.”
But when asked if the hostage release was a condition of recognising Palestinian statehood, Thomas refused to say yes.
Instead, he said: “As you said, we’ve set out clearly the conditions that we are requiring of Israel.
“But we have also set out clearly what we want Hamas to do to would be very clear on that for a very long time.”
Watch the interview, and Frost discuss the non-answer with political correspondent Mhari Aurora here..
Sir Keir Starmer’s pledge to recognise a Palestinian state could break international law, an influential group of British peers has warned.
Almost 40 members of the House of Lords, including some of the UK’s most eminent lawyers, made the warning in a letter to Attorney General Lord Hermer.
As first reported by The Times newspaper, the peers warned that Starmer’s pledge to recognise Palestine may breach international law because the territory may not meet the criteria for statehood under the 1933 Montevideo Convention.
In their letter to Lord Hermer, the peers said Palestine “does not meet the international law criteria for recognition of a state, namely, defined territory, a permanent population, an effective government and the capacity to enter into relations with other states”.
There is no certainty over the borders of Palestine, they said, and no single government, as Hamas and Fatah are enemies.
In their letter seen by the PA news agency, the peers added: “You have said that a selective, ‘pick and mix’ approach to international law will lead to its disintegration, and that the criteria set out in international law should not be manipulated for reasons of political expedience.
“Accordingly, we expect you to demonstrate this commitment by explaining to the public and to the Government that recognition of Palestine would be contrary to the principles governing recognition of states in international law.”
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