THE UK Government should follow France by recognising the state of Palestine, the SNP has said.
It is understood that French President Emmanuel Macron could make the move as soon as June at a conference jointly held with Saudi Arabia.
Scores of countries have recognised the Palestinian state as sovereign, with the UK now urged to
France has previously resisted calls to recognise a Palestinian state, but has always been in favour of a two-state solution.
Macron told French media during a trip to Egypt, where he visited a hospital treating Palestinians in the city of El Arish near the Gaza border, that “we must move toward recognition”.
“And we will do so in the coming months,” he said.
"Our aim is to chair this conference with Saudi Arabia in June, where we could finalise this movement of mutual recognition by several parties.”
Macron added: "I will do it because I believe that at some point it will be right and because I also want to participate in a collective dynamic, which must also allow all those who defend Palestine to recognise Israel in turn, which many of them do not do."
It follows President Trump’s proposals that the US could take control of Gaza and relocate its population, a move which has been described as in violation of international law.
The SNP's middle east spokesperson, Brendan O'Hara (below) said that Trump’s “dangerous” proposals make it “critical” for the UK to recognise a Palestinian state.
“It's imperative that Sir Keir Starmer joins France and sends the clearest possible signal that we are prepared to protect and guarantee the right of the Palestinian people to their own homeland - and that all diplomatic levers will be used to prevent a plan that effectively proposes ethnic cleansing in Gaza.
“A Palestinian state is the inalienable right of the people of Palestine, not a privilege that can be trampled upon by others and anyone claiming to support a two-state solution must back immediate recognition, otherwise their words will ring hollow.
"Westminster must not repeat the mistakes it has made throughout this conflict - where political leaders have failed to speak out and even appeared to condone the collective punishment of the Palestinian people.
“The UK Labour government cannot claim to support a two-state solution if it's not prepared to recognise both states and finally recognising the state of Palestine would be a powerful and meaningful step in the right direction.”
In 2014, the House of Commons voted in favour of international recognition of the Palestinian state but the vote was not binding on the UK Government.
And, in March a proposed law requiring the UK to recognise a Palestinian state was rejected by the UK Government.
The State of Palestine is recognised as a sovereign nation by 75% of UN members, 147 countries in total.
This includes Ireland, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and Mexico, the most recent country to recognise the state in March 2025.
Macron’s move is likely to antagonise Israel, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu previously stating that recognising Palestinian statehood is effectively rewarding terrorism.
Israeli foreign affairs minister Gideon Sa’ar said on X: “A ‘unilateral recognition’ of a fictional Palestinian state, by any country, in the reality that we all know, will be a prize for terror and a boost for Hamas.
“These kind of actions will not bring peace, security and stability in our region closer — but the opposite: they only push them further away.”
We previously told how the UK Government was accused of showing a “total disregard” for the loss of life in Gaza by refusing to say if British-made weapons have been used by Israel since it breached the ceasefire.
Israel has killed more than 62,000 Palestinians since the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023 and and has been accused of committing genocide in Gaza.
