The British Foreign Secretary suggests that Britain could grant formal diplomatic recognition of Palestinian statehood not as part of a final peace agreement, but during the negotiations themselves, arguing that this would help make the process irreversible and give the Palestinians a “political horizon.”

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said that “Britain will consider with its allies the issue of recognizing a Palestinian state as part of diplomatic initiatives aimed at achieving irreversible progress towards a two-state solution,” according to what the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported on Tuesday.

Cameron said, "We will consider with our allies the issue of recognizing the Palestinian state, including at the United Nations," stressing the need for the Palestinian people to be shown "irreversible progress" toward a two-state solution. He added that "the Palestinians must be given a political horizon to encourage peace in the Middle East." 

He considered that the United Kingdom “bears responsibility for determining what the Palestinian state will look like,” and said that it must show the Palestinian people “irreversible progress” toward a two-state solution, and continued, “At the time that happens, we will consider, with our allies, the issue of recognizing the Palestinian state including the United Nations."

"This may be one of the things that may help make this process irreversible," he added.

The British Foreign Secretary also urged Israel to allow more humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, and said it was “ridiculous” to return British and other vital aid to the border.

He added, "The past thirty years have been a story of failure for Israel because it failed to provide security for its citizens," stressing that "peace and progress will only be achieved by acknowledging this failure."

Cameron said, "There must be a new Palestinian authority that 'rises quickly' with 'good technocratic leaders' capable of governing Gaza," according to the BBC.

"Besides, and most important of all, it is to give the Palestinian people a political horizon so that they can see that there will be irreversible progress towards a two-state solution and the establishment of a Palestinian state," he added.

He continued, "We have a responsibility there because we must begin to define what a Palestinian state will look like, what it will consist of, how it will function, and crucially, when looking at the issue, when that happens, we and our allies will look at the issue of recognizing the Palestinian state, including in United nations".

The British Foreign Office announced today, Tuesday, that Minister David Cameron will travel to the Sultanate of Oman, later today, where he will discuss with his Omani counterpart, Badr al-Busaidi, ways to restore stability and reduce tension in the Middle East, in his fourth visit to the region since. He was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs last November.

The British Foreign Office said, in a statement, that the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea will be one of the main topics of its discussions. She added that Cameron will confirm Britain's commitment to delivering aid to Yemen, and will determine the measures Britain is taking to deter the Houthis from targeting ships in the Red Sea.

During a previous diplomatic tour in the region, Cameron met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian officials in the occupied West Bank. He also visited Qatar to discuss the situation in the Gaza Strip, which has been witnessing a devastating Israeli war for 116 days that resulted in the death of 26,637 civilians.

Cameron said during his meetings in Israel that he stressed the need to stop the fighting to ensure the release of Israeli prisoners detained in the besieged Gaza Strip since October 7.