Downing Street maintains that the government’s position hasn’t changed, despite Tory MPs criticizing the foreign secretary for a proposal they claim would “reward Hamas’s atrocities”.
The foreign secretary stated that the UK “should be starting to set out what a Palestinian state would look like – what it would comprise, how it would work” in a Monday speech to the Conservative Middle East Council.
“Once that occurs, we will examine the matter of recognizing a Palestinian state, including at the UN,” he continued, speaking on behalf of his allies. This may be among the factors contributing to the irreversibility of the process.”
Several Tory MPs, including former ministers, have criticized the plan in the Commons since the statements were made public.
Sir Michael Ellis warned that the action ran the risk of providing “dangerous actors” with the “trimmings and capabilities of a state,” while Theresa Villiers claimed that it would “reward Hamas’s atrocities.”
While the gesture was “noble,” Stephen Crabb, another former minister, questioned what “talk about early recognition” would actually accomplish.
