What does recognition of Palestine now really mean?

The UK government has repeatedly signalled its intention to recognise Palestine as a state. However, the question remains: what is stopping it from acting on this commitment?

Despite years of political statements suggesting that recognition is ‘on the table,’ there has been no concrete step taken to formalise this position. This hesitation raises legitimate questions:

If the government is serious, why hasn’t recognition already happened?

In October 2014, the UK parliament overwhelmingly passed a symbolic motion calling on the government to recognise the State of Palestine. The vote — 274 in favour, 12 against — reflected strong parliamentary support across party lines. While the motion was non-binding, it sent a clear political message that the majority of elected representatives support Palestinian statehood.

Public opinion also aligns with this stance. Protests and polls following the most recent offensives on Gaza — and particularly since the beginning of the current genocide — have consistently shown broad support among the British public for Palestinian recognition and criticism of UK arms sales to Israel.

At this point, we must ask whether the focus on state recognition is serving as a distraction. For nearly two years, the UK government has not only hesitated to acknowledge the unfolding genocide in Gaza, but has materially supported Israeli actions through arms exports and diplomatic cover, despite clear international legal rulings.

In January 2024, the International Court of Justice found plausible grounds for genocide in Gaza and called on all states to act to prevent it. The UK, bound by the Genocide Convention, has instead continued its political and military support of Israel. This comes even as leading human rights organisations accuse Israel of war crimes, apartheid, and systematic violations of Palestinian rights.

Britain holds a specific historical responsibility rooted in its role as an enabler of settler colonialism in Palestine. As the colonial authority in Palestine from 1917, it laid the groundwork for a settler project by facilitating the establishment of a Jewish national home on land already inhabited by — and belonging to — Palestinians. It did so without the consent of the Indigenous population and against the basic principles of international law and the right to self-determination. By doing so, it systematically marginalised Palestinian political rights and enabled the displacement and domination that continue to this day. What we see unfolding now is not separate from that legacy — it is a direct extension of it.

What would recognising Palestine actually mean right now?

Would such a state have clear borders? Would it control its own land, airspace, or military? Would refugees — like my family, still living in camps — have the right to return? Or would recognition simply create the illusion of progress while genocide, land theft, occupation, apartheid, and siege continue?

The risk is that the UK’s repeated statements about recognition will remain symbolic gestures, ones that deflect attention from its deeper forms of complicity and responsibility.

In July 2024, the International Court of Justice issued an advisory opinion affirming that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land — including East Jerusalem — is illegal, citing violations of the UN Charter and multiple human rights conventions. While this ruling aligns with the UK’s long-standing position that the occupation is unlawful and an obstacle to peace, the UK abstained from endorsing the opinion at the UN. When the UN General Assembly later voted on a resolution calling for Israel to end its occupation, the UK again abstained, citing concerns that the resolution did not sufficiently promote a negotiated two-state solution.

This abstention at such a critical moment — when decisive action could have helped end the genocide — raises serious questions about the UK’s true role. It’s hard not to see this as the government turning a blind eye — or worse, aiding the continuation of violence against Palestinians. Words alone won’t stop a genocide. Actions will, and right now, the UK is failing to take them.

Legal scholars and even UK civil servants have warned that continuing arms sales and political support place Britain in breach of its obligations under international law. But warnings, reports, and rulings have so far failed to prompt a change in policy.

In the face of genocide, occupation, siege, and decades of settler colonialism, recognition cannot be treated as a political talking point. Britain should not be asking whether or when it is convenient to recognise Palestine. It should be asking how to end the siege on Gaza, how to stop the ongoing killings, how to pressure for an end to the occupation — and how to support justice and dignity for millions of displaced Palestinian refugees.

Anything less is no solution. It’s a distraction — and a continuation of Britain’s role in Palestinian injustice.