Report: Israel pleaded with Britain to delay Palestinian recognition until hostages freed
Israeli officials warned unconditional recognition could endanger hostages and undermine talks; Britain said there was no evidence it put either at risk
Israel pleaded with Britain to make the release of hostages held in Gaza a condition for recognizing a Palestinian state, warning that unconditional recognition could endanger them and undermine negotiations, The Jewish Chronicle reported on Friday.
“During hostage negotiations Israel pleaded with the UK not to recognise a Palestinian state unconditionally as it could harm the remaining hostages and put their lives at risk,” an Israeli government official told the newspaper.
Then-British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced recognition on September 21, 2025, while 48 hostages remained in Gaza. He insisted the decision was “not a reward for Hamas.” The remaining living hostages were released 22 days later under a US-brokered ceasefire agreement.
Adam Rose, a lawyer representing British and British-linked hostage families, told the newspaper that the families’ representatives repeatedly argued that recognition would reward Hamas, but British officials rejected that argument in four meetings.
“We were led to believe that recognition ultimately was a transactional decision given to the Arab states who in return made a statement calling for the release of the hostages,” Rose said.
Rose also said Starmer promised the families on September 11, 2025, that Britain would expand sanctions against those supporting Hamas and other terrorist organizations. That promise had yet to be fulfilled, he said.
The Foreign Office defended recognition and rejected the suggestion that it endangered the hostages. “There is no evidence to suggest recognition risked the lives of hostages, nor the negotiations mediated by President Trump, which subsequently resulted in an agreement to release the remaining hostages,” a spokesperson told the newspaper.