Labour to drop Palestine recognition pledge
Starmer says party will only recognise state as part of two-state solution
Move follows pressure from pro-Israel lobby
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has said that a future Labour government would not recognise a state of Palestine preemptively or unilaterally, but only as part of a negotiated two-state solution.
The move follows pressure from the pro-Israel lobby, which has argued that recognising Palestine would damage the peace process and undermine Israel's security.
Starmer's announcement is a significant departure from Labour's previous policy, which was to recognise Palestine as a state unilaterally if a two-state solution could not be reached within a reasonable timeframe.
The decision is likely to anger many within the Labour Party, who believe that recognising Palestine is a matter of justice and international law.
It is also likely to damage Labour's relationship with the Palestinian Authority, which has been calling for international recognition of Palestine for decades.
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