Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slammed Keir Starmer's "appeasement" of Hamas Tuesday after the British prime minister pledged to recognize Palestinian statehood within the next two months.
"Starmer rewards Hamas's monstrous terrorism & punishes its victims," Netanyahu wrote in a post on social platform X. "A jihadist state on Israel's border TODAY will threaten Britain TOMORROW."
"Appeasement towards jihadist terrorists always fails," he added. "It will fail you too. It will not happen."
According to Politico, Netanyahu's statement came after Starmer told his cabinet on Tuesday that the United Kingdom would recognize a Palestinian state ahead of the United Nations General Assembly in September unless the Israeli government takes "substantive steps" to end the war in Gaza, including committing to a long-term peace process that results in a two-state solution.
He also reportedly said that Hamas must disarm; release all remaining hostages that were taken in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel; and accept that they will not govern Gaza.
The British prime minister reportedly said that "now was the right time to move this position forward" because of the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza and the fading prospects of a diplomatic resolution.
Starmer's office confirmed to Politico that he spoke with the Israeli prime minister before the U.K. meeting on Tuesday afternoon.
Citing a readout of the call from No. 10 Downing Street, the outlet reported that Starmer told Netanyahu the U.K. "remains unequivocal" in its condemnation of "terrorist atrocities" committed by Hamas but urged his Israeli counterpart to "take immediate action to lift all restrictions on aid access and get those suffering in Gaza the food they need."
The potential move follows intense lobbying from within Starmer's own Labour Party to recognize a Palestinian state and days after French President Emmanuel Macron promised recognition from Paris in September.
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