Activists demand more 'meaningful' action, end to arms sales, after Palestine recognition

As the UK, Canada, and Australia formally recognised a Palestinian state on Sunday, Arab leaders, activists, and NGOs have hailed the recognition; however, many are asking for more to be done to end Israel's brutal war on Gaza.

Britain has taken a historic step by recognising the State of Palestine, 108 years after the Balfour Declaration, which has garnered a bittersweet welcome from organisations in the nation.

While the UK has "finally" recognised a Palestinian state, Medical Aid for Palestinians' (MAP) Director of Advocacy and Campaigns, Rohan Talbot, said: "The UK government should also recognise some hard truths: Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, and by continuing to allow arms transfers to Israel, and failing to take meaningful action to hold perpetrators accountable, the UK remains complicit in the very atrocities that threaten Palestinians' existence and nationhood."

The organisation also called for the UK to take "urgent concrete action that will help stop the genocide and end Israel's illegal occupation".

Dr Sara Husseini, director of the British Palestinian Committee, said: "The government's recognition of Palestine as a state must be followed by concrete action. Palestinians, and the British public, expect comprehensive sanctions, no military collaboration, and an end to British participation in this ongoing genocide."

Meanwhile, the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) acknowledged that the recognition is important, but said that it means nothing if the UK "remains complicit in Israel's genocide against Gaza".

"Recognition must not be a valve to release pressure on the UK Government's complicity in the Gaza genocide. It must end its complicity and take concrete action to hold Israel to account," the ICJP said in a statement.

The organisation urged the UK to call for the US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation to be dismantled and for the UK to end its arms sales and allow Palestinian refugees a safe passage that guarantees their right of return.

At the same time, the Council for Arab-British Understanding (Cabbu) also said the recognition will mean nothing if Israel's war is not stopped.

"To give meaning to the recognition, the British government must finally impose a full ban on all trade and business with illegal Israeli settlements and all entities that sustain Israel's illegal occupation of the state of Palestine," Cabbu said in a statement.

The organisation's director, Chris Doyle, added that the recognition "will not stop an Israeli government that is a dangerous rogue state that treats Palestinian life and international law with utter contempt".

The UK's Ambassador to the State of Palestine also welcomed the British Government's "historic decision," stating that it is a step towards ending the genocide, justice, and accountability.

"Britain takes an irreversible step to right the wrongs of the past, recognising Palestine as a state with equal rights and sovereignty," Husam Zomlot said in a video shared on X.

"Recognition is not a destination, but an opening of a new chapter to right the wrongs of the past, stop the genocide in Gaza and ethnic cleansing in the West Bank, and end the unlawful occupation."

Arab Nations hail the recognition

Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the move, saying it was a necessary step towards lasting peace in the region.

Abbas said, "it constitutes an important and necessary step toward achieving a just and lasting peace in accordance with international legitimacy," according to a statement by his office, while also calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Senior Hamas official, Mahmud Mardawi, told AFP: "These developments represent a victory for Palestinian rights and the justice of our cause, and send a clear message: no matter how far the occupation goes in its crimes, it will never be able to erase our national rights."

In a statement later on Sunday, Hamas said the recognition must be accompanied by "practical measures".

These, it said, should include an immediate halt to "the genocidal war being waged against our people in the Gaza Strip and confronting the ongoing annexation and judaisation projects in the West Bank and Jerusalem," the group said in a statement.

Qatar, which has been mediating negotiations between Israel and Hamas, has welcomed the recognition of a Palestinian state by Britain, Canada, Australia, and Portugal, saying the move supported efforts to achieve a lasting peace in the region.

In a statement, the country's Foreign Ministry called on other countries to take similar steps that reflect a commitment to international law.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia hailed the decision, calling it a step towards advancing the peace process.

"This recognition underscores the serious commitment of friendly countries to supporting the peace process and advancing the two-state solution based on relevant international resolutions," Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry said in a statement.

The Kingdom expressed its hope that more countries will recognise a Palestinian state.

Portugal on Sunday also recognised a Palestinian state, advocating for the two-state solution "as the only path to a just and lasting peace, one that promotes coexistence and peaceful relations between Israel and Palestine", the Portuguese Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel told reporters in New York.

Anger from Israel

The recognition was met with anger by Israel, describing the move as "absurd", claiming it would "endanger" Israel's existence, vowing to expand illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

Germany said it would not recognise a Palestinian state until a two-state solution is negotiated.

This comes as France and Saudi Arabia are gearing to host a one-day summit at the United Nations' headquarters in New York, focusing on Israel's war on Gaza and the future of the two-state solution.

France has indicated it would follow suit on Monday as it is set to host the meeting.

Including Britain, Canada, Australia, and now Portugal, at least 145 countries of the 193 members of the UN recognise the State of Palestine.

Several other countries, including France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Malta, are expected to follow suit during the summit.

Other countries, including Russia, almost all African and Latin American countries, and most Asian countries, recognise a Palestinian State.

Nations that do not include Israel, South Korea, and Israel's fiercest ally, the United States, which called the recognition "performative".