Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Local sources: The Israeli force, which crossed into southern rural Damascus, has reached the town of Qatana, located just 10 kilometers from the Syrian capital
Local sources: An Israeli ground unit, comprising more than 15 military and armored vehicles, carried out an incursion into southern rural Damascus from the occupied Syrian Golan
Belgian court orders regional government to stop military exports to Israel, Belga reports
Latin Patriarchate in occupied al-Quds: The Holy Family Church in Gaza was subjected to Israeli shelling, resulting in injuries, including Father Gabriele Romanelli
Al Mayadeen’s correspondent in France: Georges Abdallah’s lawyer has officially informed him of the court’s decision granting his release
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in South Lebanon: One was martyred in a raid that targeted the town of Kfour, Nabatieh District
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in South Lebanon: One was martyred in an Israeli drone strike that targeted a truck in the town of Naqoura
Defense Attorney: Lebanese activist George Ibrahim Abdallah will be released on July 25
Georges Abdallah's defense attorney: The decision to release Lebanese activist Georges Ibrahim Abdallah will be issued in a few minutes
The French judiciary decided to release Lebanese activist Georges Ibrahim Abdallah after 41 years of detention

Recognize Palestine to end 'deadly status quo', UK envoy urges

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: The Guardian
  • 13 Jun 2025 14:27
4 Min Read

Palestinian ambassador Husam Zomlot calls on the UK to recognize Palestine before the UN "two-state" conference, warning that any delay only reinforces the "deadly status quo."

Listen
  • x
  • Palestinian Ambassador to the UK, Husam Zomlot appears in this undated photo (AP/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
    Palestinian Ambassador to the UK, Husam Zomlot, appears in this undated photo (AP)

In an op-ed published by The Guardian, Palestinian ambassador to the UK, Husam Zomlot, urged the Labour government to formally recognize the State of Palestine ahead of a high-level United Nations conference on the "two-state" solution set to begin in New York on June 17.

Zomlot warned that continuing to delay recognition only entrenches the “deadly status quo” and risks aligning the UK with what he described as an "apartheid regime".

“Recognition is neither a reward for one party nor a punishment for another,” Zomlot wrote. “It is a long-overdue affirmation of the Palestinian people’s unconditional right to exist and live freely in our homeland.”

He emphasized that the recognition of Palestine should not be made conditional and called on the UK to fulfill its longstanding manifesto commitment, especially with Labour now in power, according to The Guardian.

The UK, alongside France and Canada, is among the G7 states reportedly considering formal recognition of a Palestinian state. The upcoming conference in New York, co-sponsored by France, aims to revive the pathway toward a "two-state solution", a concept allegedly once supported by "Israel" but which no longer features in the official Israeli rhetoric.

According to The Guardian, British Middle East Minister Hamish Falconer came under heavy pressure this week from MPs across party lines in the House of Commons, with calls mounting for the UK to recognize Palestine unconditionally before the UN gathering.

While Falconer appeared sympathetic in private discussions, the final decision rests with Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

As reported by The Guardian, diplomats remain divided over whether recognition should be granted immediately or made subject to a timeline with conditions. Meanwhile, France and the UK are holding intensive discussions to agree on a unified stance.

Abbas pledges reform, calls for Hamas to relinquish arms

In a four-page letter made public by the French presidency, Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas pledged to hold internationally supervised elections within a year and committed to major reforms.

The letter also included unprecedented declarations that Hamas would no longer govern Gaza and must disarm, transferring military control to Palestinian security forces with international and Arab backing.

French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the letter as a hopeful step. However, according to The Guardian, doubts remain among Gulf and European officials about whether Hamas will fully cooperate.

One senior Gulf diplomat confirmed Hamas had agreed not to seek political control of Gaza but added that disarmament terms and the group’s future leadership remain unresolved.

As recognition of Palestine becomes a key element of diplomatic maneuvering, some European and Gulf officials argue that UK and French recognition could serve as leverage to push the PA toward long-overdue political reforms. Yet others, including analysts from the European Council on Foreign Relations, caution that recognition alone offers little influence over Hamas, which remains skeptical of disarmament without a broader peace agreement.

“The delay in recognition simply reinforces the deadly status quo,” Zomlot wrote in his op-ed to The Guardian, adding that conditioning recognition on "Israel's" consent effectively grants the occupation regime a permanent veto over Palestinian self-determination.

Diplomatic realignment distances Europe from US stance

While the United States has dismissed the upcoming UN conference as counterproductive and called for a boycott, European nations appear increasingly willing to chart an independent course.

A senior diplomat noted that fears of backlash from the Trump administration are waning, as the transatlantic divide on "Israel" deepens, according to The Guardian.

The newly appointed US ambassador to "Israel", Mike Huckabee, recently stated that he no longer considers a "two-state solution" viable, further undermining Washington's influence on European policy.

As preparations for the conference continue, countries such as Qatar, Mexico, and Brazil are playing prominent roles in shaping the agenda, including working groups focused on reducing incitement and promoting a shared peace narrative.

For many involved, formal recognition of Palestine by major Western states represents a tangible step toward ending the current impasse.

We thank President Macron for his strong support for the Palestinian vision: a political solution rooted in justice and international law. As President Abbas says, “We can live in peace and security tomorrow if we make the right decisions today.” This must begin by an immediate… https://t.co/GfSRFoxMjF

— Husam Zomlot (@hzomlot) June 12, 2025

  • UK Labor Party
  • Husam Zomlot
  • UN two-state conference
  • Palestine
  • recognition of Palestine
  • 'Israel'
  • UK

Most Read

An Israeli soldier abandons an excavator during an ambush by al-Qassam Brigades. Arabic text reads "The moment the soldier fled", July, 10, 2025 (Al Qassam Military Media)

Israeli media rue al-Qassam footage, alarmed by fighters among troops

  • Politics
  • 11 Jul 2025
This satellite image from Planet Labs PBC shows damage after an Iranian attack at the al Udeid Airbase outside of Doha, Qatar, June 25, 2025 (Planet Labs PBC via AP)

Satellite images show Iran attack damaged US comms dome in Qatari base

  • Politics
  • 11 Jul 2025
Ukraine’s Corporate Carve-Up Collapses?

Ukraine’s Corporate Carve-Up Collapses?

  • Analysis
  • 11 Jul 2025
Credible reports, including some from Israeli media itself, indicate that Tel Aviv had pinned its hopes on what can only be described as a delusional plan. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)

Jebraily: Iran strikes rewrote regional deterrence rules - Exclusive

  • MENA
  • 15 Jul 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Fire at new Iraqi mall kills at least 77 people
Miscellaneous

61 people killed as fire engulfs new mall in Iraq's Wasit

Colombia's President Gustavo Petro delivers a speech during a two-day conference on the Israeli war on Gaza, in Bogota, Colombia, Wednesday, July 16, 2025
Politics

Colombia's Petro says to part ways with NATO, cites bombing complicity

A person wearing graduate robes is detained by police across the street from the main gates of Columbia University, Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in New York. (AP)
Politics

Columbia yields to federal pressure, adopts IHRA to regain $400M funds

Members of a French military flight crew talk on the tarmac at France's military air base in Dakar, Senegal, between flights toward the presumed site of the crash of a missing Air France flight Tuesday, June 2, 2009 (AP)
Politics

French army exits Senegal, as president advances post-colonial reforms

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS