Israel implored UK to hold off on Palestine recognition until after hostages returned – report

Israel reportedly pleaded with Britain to delay recognizing Palestinian statehood until after the Gaza hostages were released.

By World Israel News Staff

Israel privately urged the British government last year to postpone its recognition of a Palestinian state until Hamas released the remaining hostages held in Gaza, warning that proceeding unconditionally could endanger their lives and undermine negotiations, according to a report published by* The Jewish Chronicle*.

The newly disclosed diplomatic warnings were conveyed to the government of then-Prime Minister Keir Starmer ahead of Britain’s formal recognition of Palestinian statehood on September 21, 2025, when 48 hostages – including 20 living captives – remained in Gaza.

An Israeli government official confirmed to the newspaper that Jerusalem had repeatedly warned London against taking the step while negotiations for the hostages’ release were underway.

Israeli officials feared that recognition could strengthen Hamas’s bargaining position and remove an important source of international pressure on the terrorist organization, potentially jeopardizing efforts to secure the captives’ freedom.

Nevertheless, Starmer proceeded with recognition without making the hostages’ release a precondition, maintaining that Palestinian statehood was necessary to preserve the possibility of a negotiated two-state solution.

The decision came less than a month before the final 20 living hostages were released on October 13, 2025, under a ceasefire agreement brokered by President Donald Trump. The remains of the 28 deceased hostages were subject to a separate, slower repatriation process.

The Jewish Chronicle‘s report, published Thursday, includes interviews with Israeli officials, hostage families, and legal representatives who had lobbied the British government to reconsider its decision.

Among those criticizing Britain’s actions was Sharon Sharabi, whose brother Eli survived 491 days in Hamas captivity after being abducted from Kibbutz Be’eri during the October 7, 2023, massacre.

Eli’s British-born wife, Lianne, and their daughters, Noiya and Yahel, were murdered by Hamas terrorists. When he returned from Gaza in February 2025, he learned that his wife and children had been killed.

Sharon Sharabi questioned Britain’s decision to proceed with recognition while Hamas continued holding Israelis captive, arguing that London had effectively handed the terrorist organization a diplomatic achievement without requiring it to release its hostages.

He also demanded an explanation of how the decision could be reconciled with Britain’s responsibilities toward the murdered members of his brother’s family, who held British citizenship.

Ziv Abud, who survived the October 7 attack on the Nova music festival, also condemned the move.

Abud’s then-boyfriend, Eliyah Cohen, was kidnapped by Hamas during the massacre and held in Gaza for 505 days. She later married him following his release.

Abud, who had visited the British Parliament twice to advocate for the hostages, described Britain’s recognition decision as “a betrayal of the families” still awaiting the return of their loved ones.

She argued that Palestinian statehood should have been conditional on the captives’ release and warned that proceeding without such a requirement could encourage terrorist organizations to regard hostage-taking as an effective political strategy.

The controversy also involved direct meetings between British ministers and representatives of families with British connections.

Adam Rose, a partner at the law firm Mishcon de Reya who represented several hostage families alongside barrister Adam Wagner KC, said their representatives met British officials four times to argue that unconditional recognition would reward Hamas.

According to Rose, ministers maintained that recognition was necessary to preserve prospects for a two-state solution and rejected the suggestion that it would benefit Hamas.

Rose characterized the timing as “incredibly poor and insensitive,” saying the government had appeared determined to proceed despite the families’ objections.

He also disclosed that Starmer had promised hostage families during a September 11, 2025, meeting that Britain would expand sanctions against individuals supporting Hamas and other terrorist organizations.

Rose said that commitment remained unfulfilled more than a year later, despite repeated requests.

The British government’s decision had already generated considerable controversy before recognition was announced.

On September 3, 2025, then-Foreign Secretary David Lammy confirmed during a meeting with families of British-connected hostages that recognition could proceed even if their relatives remained in captivity.

The government’s approach reflected the conditions Starmer had outlined in July, when he announced that Britain would recognize Palestine in September unless Israel took significant steps to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, agree to a ceasefire, halt annexation plans and commit to a lasting peace process.

Those conditions focused on Israeli government policy rather than making Hamas’s release of the hostages a prerequisite for recognition.

Announcing the decision on September 21, Starmer rejected suggestions that Britain was rewarding the October 7 attacks.

“This solution is not a reward for Hamas,” he declared, emphasizing that the terrorist organization would have no role in governing a future Palestinian state.

Starmer also demanded that Hamas immediately release its captives, disarm and relinquish any future role in Gaza’s security or administration.

The Board of Deputies of British Jews criticized the recognition at the time, arguing that it had weakened international pressure on Hamas without securing meaningful concessions.

The organization warned that the diplomatic initiative risked encouraging Hamas to portray Palestinian recognition as a victory produced by its October 7 attacks.

In its response to the latest revelations, Britain’s Foreign Office defended the recognition decision and disputed the suggestion that it had endangered the hostages or obstructed negotiations.

A spokesperson said there was “no evidence to suggest recognition risked the lives of hostages,” adding that Britain had used diplomatic channels to press for their unconditional release.

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