London: The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has asked the United Kingdom Government to immediately recognize the Palestinian status, intensifying the pressure on Prime Minister Keir Starmer as a mount indignation on the deep humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.
In a powerful statement published in X, Khan described the situation as “absolutely heartbreaking”, saying: “Hungry children who desperately seek food in the rubble. Family members killed by shot by Israeli soldiers while looking for help.
“The international community, including our own government, must do much more to press the Israeli government to stop this horrible and meaningless murder and let vital and lifeless help. Nothing justifies the actions of the Israeli government.
“The United Kingdom must immediately recognize the condition of Palestinian status. There cannot be a solution of two states if there is no viable state to call Palestine.”
Khan’s comments occur in the midst of growing internal pressure on the leadership of the United Kingdom. According to reports, several members of the senior cabinet have urged Starmer to lead international efforts to recognize Palestine, as a means to pressure Israel and avoid greater civil suffering.
Speaking in Parliament, the Secretary of Health Wes Streeting echoed the feeling, asking for recognition “while there is still a state of Palestine to recognize” and condemning Israeli actions that “go far beyond legitimate self -defense.”
More than 100 aid organizations, including doctors without borders, Save the Children and Oxfam, have issued a joint statement that warns that “mass starvation” is spreading in Gaza due to Israeli restrictions in the delivery of help. “Our colleagues and those we serve are wasting,” they said.
The UN has reported that more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces while trying to access food since the UN help system was dismantled in May.
The Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, described being “horrified, sick” by the scenes of hungry civilians who were shot and said that the United Kingdom “would play their role” in achieving a solution of two states.
The last intervention of Sadiq Khan is one of several recent movements in which he has broken with Starmer’s leadership. The mayor of three periods, believed that it was unlikely to seek re -election, previously opposed to the changes in controversial disability benefits backed by the Labor leader.
His statement met online mixed reactions, and many agreed with his call to recognize Palestine and condemn war crimes and others criticizing what they said was Khan’s failure to address how Rat W crime and the cost of the living crisis are affecting London.
Posted in Dawn, July 24, 2025
