France has announced its intention to become the first member of the Group of Seven to recognize Palestine as a state. Ireland, Norway and Spain have already done so, breaking from a consensus within Western Europe and the US that the Palestinians should achieve statehood through negotiations with Israel.

There are 147 UN member states out of 193 that recognise the state of Palestine - but the UK is not one of them

Germany is not planning to recognise a Palestinian state in the short term and said its priority now is to make "long-overdue progress" towards a two-state solution, a German government spokesperson said on Friday.

Three quarters of UN members recognise a state of Palestine, with major power France set to join them in September following an announcement Thursday by its President Emmanuel Macron.Other member states such as Poland,

Sir Keir Starmer has rejected calls from MPs to recognise a Palestinian state immediately. Some 221 MPs have signed a letter urging the British Government to recognise the state of Palestine at a meeting of the UN next week.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Friday the British government would recognise a Palestinian state only as part of a negotiated peace deal, disappointing many in his Labour Party who want him to follow France in taking swifter action.

A seismic shift in the UK’s foreign policy could dramatically emerge over the coming weeks as the Government considers whether to recognise a Palestinian state.