Srinagar, Sep 21: Britain, Canada and Australia on Sunday formally recognised a Palestinian state in a coordinated diplomatic move aimed at reviving prospects for a two-state solution, despite strong opposition from Israel and the United States.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed that the UK was extending recognition, describing the decision as a “historic moment” intended to “revive the hope of peace for the Palestinians and Israelis.”

His announcement followed similar statements from Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

The move is largely symbolic but significant, given the UK’s historic role in the Middle East. Britain was the governing power of Palestine after World War I and author of the 1917 Balfour Declaration, which supported the creation of a Jewish homeland while pledging not to prejudice Palestinian rights.

Starmer said Hamas would have no role in any future governance and must release Israeli hostages still held from the October 7, 2023 attacks.

Canada said its recognition was accompanied by “direct commitments” from the Palestinian Authority to reform governance, hold elections in 2026, and exclude Hamas from power.

“This in no way legitimises terrorism, nor is it any reward for it,” Carney said. Australia echoed that position, stressing that Hamas must play no role in the Palestinian state.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian Shahin welcomed the announcements, calling them “an irreversible step that preserves the two-state solution and brings us closer to sovereignty and independence.”

Husam Zomlot, head of the Palestinian mission in London, said the recognition corrected a “colonial-era wrong” dating back to 1917.

More than 140 UN member states already recognise Palestine, and further declarations are expected at this week’s UN General Assembly, including from France and Saudi Arabia.

Israel strongly rejected the move. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly insisted there will “never” be a Palestinian state, while officials dismissed the recognitions as irrelevant gestures that change nothing on the ground.

US President Donald Trump, who visited the UK days earlier, said he “disagreed” with the decision. Washington has argued that recognition rewards Hamas and undermines negotiations.

Despite criticism, UK Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy said recognition was needed to keep the two-state option alive amid what he described as a “historical injustice.”

He noted that Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank and the devastation of Gaza had made peace harder to achieve.

Israel has faced increasing diplomatic isolation over its nearly two-year military campaign in Gaza. A UN Commission of Inquiry last week concluded Israel has committed genocide in Gaza — an allegation Israel denies.

“This is not symbolic,” Shahin said. “It is practical, tangible, and irreversible. Today in Gaza, people are systematically murdered. Recognition is a step to hold Israel accountable and to protect the Palestinian people.” (The Telegraph)

Cairo, Sep 21: Israeli strikes killed at least 34 people in Gaza City overnight, including children, said health officials on Sunday, as Israel presses ahead with its offensive in the famine-stricken city and several countries prepare to recognise a Palestinian state.

Health officials at Shifa Hospital, where most of the bodies were brought, said the dead included 14 people killed in a late-night strike Saturday, which hit a residential block in the southern side of the city. Health staff said a nurse who worked at the hospital was among the dead, along with his wife and three children.

The latest Israeli operation, which began this week, further escalates a conflict that has roiled the Middle East and likely pushes any ceasefire further out of reach. The Israeli military, which says it wants to “destroy Hamas’ military infrastructure” and has urged Palestinians to leave, hasn’t given a timeline for the offensive, but there were indications it could take months.

Several countries to recognise a Palestinian State

Saturday night’s strikes come as some prominent Western countries prepare to recognize Palestinian statehood at the gathering of world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly on Monday. They include the UK, France, Canada, Australia, Malta, Belgium and Luxembourg. Portugal’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said it will recognise a Palestinian state on Sunday.

Ahead of the UN assembly, peace activists in Israel have hailed the planned recognition of a Palestinian state. On Sunday, a group of more than 60 Jewish and Arab peace and reconciliation organisations, known as It’s Time Coalition, called for an end to the war, the release of the hostages and the recognition of a Palestinian state.

“We refuse to live forever by the sword. The UN decision offers a historic opportunity to move from a death trap to life, from an endless messianic war to a future of security and freedom for both peoples,” said the coalition in a video statement.

Yet a ceasefire remains elusive. Israeli bombardment over the past 23 months has killed more than 65,000 people in Gaza, destroyed vast areas of the strip, displaced around 90 per cent of the population and caused a catastrophic humanitarian crisis, with experts saying Gaza City is experiencing famine.

Israel claims killing a Hamas sniper

Israel didn’t respond to the strikes overnight Saturday. In a statement Sunday, the military said it killed Majed Abu Selmiya, who it said was a sniper for Hamas’ military wing and was preparing to carry out more attacks in the Gaza City area, without providing evidence.

The alleged militant is the brother of the director of Shifa hospital, Dr. Mohamed Abu Selmiya, who called the allegations a lie and said Israel was trying to justify the killing of civilians. Dr. Selmiya told The Associated Press that his brother, 57, suffered from hypertension, diabetes and had vision problems.

As the attacks continue, Israel has ordered hundreds of thousands of Palestinians sheltering in Gaza City to move south to what it calls a humanitarian zone and opened another corridor south of the city for two days this week to allow more people to evacuate.

Palestinians were streaming out of Gaza City by car and on foot, though many are unwilling to be uprooted again, too weak to leave or unable to afford the cost of moving.

Along the coastal Wadi Gaza route, those too exhausted to continue stopped to catch their breath and give their children a much-needed break from the difficult journey.

Aid groups have warned that forcing thousands of people to evacuate will exacerbate the dire humanitarian crisis. They are appealing for a ceasefire so aid can reach those who need it.

Families of hostages still held by Hamas are also calling for a ceasefire, accusing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of condemning their loved ones to death by continuing to fight rather than negotiating an end to the war.