British Palestinians make three demands of PM - and don't want 'symbolic gesture'

British Palestinians have called on Sir Keir Starmer to take "immediate, concrete" steps on Gaza instead of "focusing on a symbolic gesture" of recognising it as a state ahead of an emergency cabinet meeting.

The prime minister has recalled his cabinet ministers from parliamentary recess for a meeting at 2pm, when they will discuss what the UK's next steps should be, after Sir Keir held meetings with Donald Trump yesterday.

Ahead of the cabinet meeting, the British Palestinian Committee (BPC), which represents the experiences of Palestinians in the UK, has sent Sir Keir a letter urging him to take actions they say could make a real difference to people in Gaza.

Gaza latest: 'Worse-case scenario of famine' unfolding

The war has now been going on for 21 months after it was sparked by Hamas militants killing 1,200 Israelis and taking 250 hostages on 7 October 2023. The militant group still holds 50 hostages, of whom only 20 are believed to be alive.

The BPC said recognising Palestine as a state is now "symbolic" as it "will not end the genocide and must not be used to deflect from accountability".

Sir Keir has been under pressure from his own MPs and other UK political parties, notably since France said it will recognise Palestine as a state, but has so far resisted - saying recognition needs to be part of a wider peace plan.

He has so far refused to say whether "genocide" is taking place in Gaza - a claim Israel has vehemently denied.

Israel has paused fighting in three areas for another 10 hours today to help aid distribution, the third day it has done so amid mounting international condemnation of the scenes of hunger unfolding in Gaza.

David Mencer, a spokesperson for the Israeli government, said: "There is no intent, (which is) key for the charge of genocide... it simply doesn't make sense for a country to send in 1.9 million tonnes of aid, most of that being food, if there is an intent of genocide."

The BPC, an independent group, said the government has "not only a political and moral obligation, but a legal obligation" to take three steps.

They are:

• Preventing and punishing Israel's "genocide" in Gaza and to end "all complicity in it"

• Apply "immediate and comprehensive sanctions on Israel"

• Safeguard the rights to freedom of expression and assembly in the UK

More specifically, the group has called on Sir Keir to end "all forms of military collaboration, urgently review all public contracts to ensure they are not aiding unlawful occupation or genocidal acts, and support universal jurisdiction mandates".

Read more:25% of young children and pregnant women malnourished in GazaThe view from a plane dropping aid into Gaza

The group said these steps would help towards ending the starvation crisis in Gaza, which it said had been made possible "due to the impunity granted to" Israel and "compounded by the active military, economic and diplomatic support from states such as the UK".

The group also accused the UK government of introducing "draconian legislation to limit the rights" of British citizens campaigning to end the atrocities "and British complicity in those atrocities" - in reference to Palestine Action being designated as a terrorist organisation.

'Immediate steps' Britain can take

Dr Sara Husseini, director of the BPC, said: "We wrote to the prime minister to remind the UK cabinet of their legal obligations towards the Palestinian people."

She said there are a "number of immediate steps" the British government "can and should be taking", as outlined in the letter.

Dr Husseini said 147 countries have already recognised Palestine as a state, and instead of "focusing on a symbolic gesture" it is essential the UK severs diplomatic ties with Israel, institutes a full arms embargo, applies comprehensive sanctions and cuts trade.

"Anything short of this amounts to complicity," she added.

Ahead of the cabinet meeting, senior minister Peter Kyle told Sky News the PM had decided to call an emergency meeting "to discuss all of the actions that Britain can and should be taking at a time like this".

He said recognising Palestine as a state is a manifesto commitment but the "real priority" right now is to try to get aid into Gaza.