The UK's Palestine recognition pledge makes the return of hostages less likely

Keir Starmer makes a statement in Downing Street, London, following a Cabinet meeting to discuss the situation in Gaza, 29 July 2025 (PA Images / Alamy)

Whilst there were demands, no conditions as such were imposed on Hamas (nor for that matter on the Palestinian Authority).

This approach is a sharp departure from convention, which has held until now only to recognise a Palestinian state as part of a negotiated process between the parties resulting in a secure Israel alongside a viable Palestinian state.

I am sure that the government’s statement was motivated by a genuine humanitarian impulse in relation to the conflict in Gaza. Concern arising from reports in Gaza have rightly caused widespread upset and alarm within the British public including the Jewish community.

We do need to address the vital of issue of acute food insecurity and the effective distribution of humanitarian aid and assistance and indeed we are now seeing this belatedly happen. There has to be renewed pressure on all parties to secure a ceasefire, which must include the release by Hamas of the hostages. To introduce the issue of recognition in this context is to add an unnecessary complication.

The government’s statement is potentially bad news for the hostages still being held by Hamas.

For those who need a reminder: this war was not started by Israel. It began on 7 October 2023, during the Hamas attacks, which saw more than 1,200 men, women and children violently murdered and hundreds kidnapped.

Twenty-one months later, there are still 50 hostages being held in Gaza – some living, some dead. We know from the testimony of released hostages that they have faced abuse and appalling conditions for the past 21 months.

Hamas has no incentive for accepting a deal

One would hope that any government intervention would have at its core the desire to ensure that those who survive are reunited with their families, and that the bodies of the deceased are returned to their families for burial.

We think the UK government’s intervention will make this less likely to happen. The government’s statement sets conditions on Israel. The UK says that it will recognise Palestinian statehood unless Israel accepts a ceasefire. However, this means that Hamas has no incentive for accepting a deal. If the road of recognition is to be pursued, at a minimum the government must state unequivocally that recognition will not be forthcoming unless Hamas meets UK demands. 

While the government’s statement does call on Hamas to “immediately release all the hostages, sign up to an immediate ceasefire, accept that they will play no part in the government of Gaza, and commit to disarmament”, these are not conditions on recognition but rather aspirations.

Unless the government decides to redesignate these as conditions, the Hamas leadership will realise that to secure recognition as a state, all they need to do is block any ceasefire deals between now and September. More ominously, they will realise that should they agree a deal and a hostage return, the recognition they have been offered will not happen.

The Board of Deputies is not against recognition at the right moment. We have long supported a negotiated two-state solution that ensures a secure Israel alongside a viable Palestinian state.  However, recognising a Palestinian state without a diplomatic agreement risks putting gestures ahead of substance.

And we have to see a sustained improvement in the humanitarian situation. As we have said for months, food must not be used as a weapon of war by any side in this conflict. We are also alarmed at some of the rhetoric within the Israeli government and by extremist settler violence in the West Bank.

This war continues to take an unbearable toll on both Israelis and Palestinians, and nearly all of them would like to see it end as soon as possible. It is also having a profound effect on our own UK Jewish community, with a huge increase in hate crime and discrimination directed at Jews in this country. We need to export peace, not import this conflict. 

For almost two years, the Board of Deputies of British Jews has worked with the British hostage families to encourage the UK to use any leverage it has to help secure the release of their loved ones. We have also held weekly vigils at Westminster to keep the hostage issue in the minds of our politicians. Successive Prime Ministers and Foreign Secretaries have promised that the UK will do everything in its power to secure the immediate and unconditional release of the hostages.

Ultimately, peace will only be achieved when the hostages return home. We hope the government understands this and moves to clarify its statement so that this goal is given the importance it deserves.

Adrian Cohen is senior vice president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews

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