Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer meet at 10 Downing Avenue, in London, Britain, September 8, 2025. (photograph credit score: JONATHAN BRADY/POOL VIA REUTERS)
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer met PA President Mahmoud Abbas, backing Palestinian statehood on the UN whereas stressing the necessity for a Gaza ceasefire, hostages’ launch, and no position for Hamas.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosted Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas at 10 Downing Avenue on Monday night, the UK Authorities confirmed.
Throughout their assembly, the 2 leaders mentioned the “insupportable scenario in Gaza,” with Starmer reaffirming his requires an “fast ceasefire, launch of all hostages, and an enormous surge in humanitarian support” to the enclave, the British authorities stated in a press release.
Additionally they mentioned the necessity for an answer to finish the “horrific struggling and famine” within the Gaza Strip.
Starmer praised Abbas’s said dedication to reform the PA as “an important half” of bringing “enduring peace and stability for each Palestinians and Israelis.”
Abbas welcomed Starmer’s pledge to acknowledge a Palestinian state on the United Nations Basic Meeting later this month. Starmer’s pledge notably offered a caveat that it’ll solely come except the Israeli authorities takes “substantive steps to finish the appalling scenario in Gaza.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomes Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to 10 Downing Avenue, in London, Britain, September 8, 2025. (credit score: REUTERS/Jack Taylor)
‘No position for Hamas’
Each events agreed that there’s “no position for Hamas sooner or later governance of Palestine.”
The British Authorities has decided that Israel just isn’t committing genocide in Gaza, Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy advised the chair of the worldwide growth committee in a letter on September 1.
This differs considerably from the federal government’s earlier place, which was that solely courts can determine whether or not Israel is or just isn’t committing genocide. It additionally marks the primary time the UK authorities has said explicitly that Israel’s actions in Gaza don’t depend as genocide.
Within the letter to Sarah Champion, Lammy, who was the overseas secretary on the time of writing, acknowledged that the UK authorities has the responsibility to forestall genocide beneath Article I of the Genocide Conference (1948) if it believes there’s a severe danger of genocide occurring. This place is consistent with the choice of the Worldwide Court docket of Justice (ICJ) within the case regarding the Software of the Conference on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
Abbas advised Saudi shops Al-Arabiya and Al-Hadath that Israel “desires to destroy all of Palestine,” final Monday.
Mathilda Heller contributed to this report.
