Keir Starmer drops Labour's pledge to unilaterally recognize Palestine

Labour will commit to recognizing Palestinian state before peace talks are over in its manifesto

Sir Keir Starmer has said he is a friend to Palestinians but his latest speech doesn't square with that

Sir Keir was right to signal once again that he wants to see a Palestinian state alongside Israel but his speech appeared to row back on a commitment made in Labour's 2019 manifesto to recognize Palestine as a state unilaterally.

That commitment was dropped from the party's draft manifesto for the next election, which is due to be published in the coming weeks.

Instead, the manifesto will include a plan to officially recognize a Palestinian state as part of the peace process.

This is a significant shift in policy, which will likely be welcomed by the Palestinian Authority but criticized by some Labour MPs.