UK rejects criticism of awarding Hamas for recognizing Palestine

The UK has rejected criticism from Israel that Hamas is being awarded by planning to recognize a Palestinian state. Reuters reports. The UK has announced plans to recognize Palestine by September unless Israel takes steps to improve the situation in Gaza and establish peace. The world has been shocked by the sight of emaciated children in Gaza in recent days, Reuters reported on Wednesday. On Tuesday, a hunger monitoring group warned that the worst of the famine was brewing there and urgent action was needed to avert mass deaths. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sharply criticized British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for giving him an ultimatum of September. He accused Starmer of effectively awarding Hamas by giving him an ultimatum until September. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has said he does not think Hamas should be rewarded by recognising Palestinian independence. British Transport Minister Heidi Alexander responded to the criticism in a media interview on Wednesday. She said that was not the right way to explain Britain’s plan. “This is not a reward for Hamas. This is about the Palestinian people. This is about the children we see in Gaza who are starving to death,” she said. She also said that we need to increase pressure on the Israeli government to lift restrictions to allow more aid into Gaza. Meanwhile, France announced last week that it would recognise a Palestinian state in September. In a televised address on Tuesday, Starmer said that the moment had now come, highlighting the plight of Gaza and the prospect of a two-state solution in which a Palestinian state would exist alongside Israel.