\n<\/p>\n
Keir Starmer<\/strong> has ducked a question about claims that recognising the state of Palestine would be contrary to international law.<\/p>\n While a government minister rejected this claim in an interview this morning (see 8.50am), Starmer just gave a generalised answer when asked about the issue in an interview with ITV West Country.<\/p>\n Asked how he would respond to the backlash against his recognition plan, including from senior lawyers saying it would be illegal, Starmer instead focused on giving a response to Emily Damari, the British-Israeli woman held hostage by Hamas, who yesterday accused him of \u201cmoral failure\u201d, saying he was rewarding terrorism.<\/p>\n Starmer said:<\/p>\n I particularly listen to the hostages. Emily Damari, who I have spoken to, I\u2019ve met her mother a number of times, and they\u2019ve been through the most awful, awful experience for Emily and for her mother.<\/p>\n And that\u2019s why I\u2019ve been absolutely clear and steadfast that we must have the remaining hostages released. That\u2019s been our position throughout, and I absolutely understand the unimaginable horror that Emily went through.<\/p>\n Alongside that we do need to do everything we can to alleviate the humanitarian catastrophy in Gaza, where we are seeing the children and babies starving for want of aid which could be delivered.<\/p>\n And that is why I\u2019ve said unless things materially change on the ground, we\u2019ll have to assess this in September, we will recognize Palestine before the United Nations general assembly in September.<\/p>\n <\/span> Keir Starmer speaks to a reporter during a visit to Workshed in Swindon this morning.<\/span> Photograph: Anthony Upton\/APShare<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Key events<\/p>\n <\/span>Show key events only<\/p>\n Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n When the government announced its Palestinian statehood recognition policy on Tuesday, it included requirements for both Israel and Hamas. But the requirements for Israel were described as \u201cconditions\u201d, and Keir Starmer said, unless they were met, the UK would go ahead with recognition. The demands addressed to Hamas were not described as conditions, and Starmer was not explicit about what would happen if they were not met.<\/p>\n In his interview on the World at One, Jonathan Reynolds<\/strong>, the business secretary, defended not imposing \u201cconditions\u201d on Hamas, saying the government could not negotiate with a terrorist organistion. He said:<\/p>\n The reason [it has been] presented in that way is because Hamas are a terrorist organisation, and we don\u2019t put conditions on them because we don\u2019t negotiate with terrorists.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve been absolutely clear, it\u2019s our long-standing position, that the hostages have to be released.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also our long-standing position that Hamas can play no role in the future governance of Gaza or any Palestinian state.<\/p>\n So those are absolute conditions, but we will never be willing to negotiate with Hamas because they are a terrorist organisation.<\/p>\n Despite being asked, Reynolds avoided saying if the government would be willing to recognise a Palestinian state if Hamas was still holding hostages in Gaza in September.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Updated at\u00a009.35 EDT<\/p>\n In an interview with Radio 4\u2019s the World at One, Jonathan Reynolds<\/strong>, the business secretary, claimed that peers who argue that Palestinian state recognition would be unlawful are \u201cmissing the point\u201d.<\/p>\n After being invited to listen to a clip of Lady Deech explaining the peers\u2019 objections to the plan (see 12.59pm), and asked to respond, Reynolds replied:<\/p>\n I think, to be honest, with respect to those colleagues, that is missing the point somewhat.<\/p>\n What we want to see is not just a ceasefire to the conflict in Gaza, but a genuine peace process, a long-term settlement, and that requires a two state solution.<\/p>\n And we\u2019re trying to use recognition of a Palestinian state \u2026 in a way which genuinely moves forward this peace process, deals with short-term issues like getting sufficient aid into Gaza, which is a huge deal, but also sets in place a serious long-term peace process. And that is the objective.<\/p>\n I would ask colleagues to appreciate that and look at the levers the UK has to help deliver something which millions of people around the world are desperate to see.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Other countries are following Starmer in saying this week that they are bringing forward plans to recognise the state of Palestine. The announcements are being made off the back of a UN conference intended to revive support for the two-state solution.<\/p>\n After Starmer announced his move on Tuesday evening, Mark Carney<\/strong>, the Canadian PM, announced that his country intends to formally recognise Palestine during the UN general assembly in September. This is conditional on the Palestinian Authority, the body that governs the occupied West Bank, holding an election in 2026 in which Palestinian militant group Hamas does not play a role, and agreeing to other democratic reforms.<\/p>\n And today the Portuguese government has said it is considering recognising Palestine in September. The AFP news agency says:<\/p>\n The Portuguese government will consult the president and parliament on the question of recognising the state of Palestine at the UN in September, Prime Minister Luis Montenegro<\/strong>\u2019s office said Thursday.<\/p>\n Portugal \u201cis considering recognition of the Palestinian state, as part of a procedure that could be concluded during the high-level week of the 80th United Nations general assembly, to be held in New York in September\u201d, the statement said.<\/p>\n And today Germany\u2019s foreign minister, Johann Wadephul,<\/strong> said:<\/p>\n A negotiated two-state solution remains the only path that can offer people on both sides a life in peace, security, and dignity.<\/p>\n For Germany, the recognition of a Palestinian state comes more at the end of that process. But such a process must begin now.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Keir Starmer<\/strong> has ducked a question about claims that recognising the state of Palestine would be contrary to international law.<\/p>\n While a government minister rejected this claim in an interview this morning (see 8.50am), Starmer just gave a generalised answer when asked about the issue in an interview with ITV West Country.<\/p>\n Asked how he would respond to the backlash against his recognition plan, including from senior lawyers saying it would be illegal, Starmer instead focused on giving a response to Emily Damari, the British-Israeli woman held hostage by Hamas, who yesterday accused him of \u201cmoral failure\u201d, saying he was rewarding terrorism.<\/p>\n Starmer said:<\/p>\n I particularly listen to the hostages. Emily Damari, who I have spoken to, I\u2019ve met her mother a number of times, and they\u2019ve been through the most awful, awful experience for Emily and for her mother.<\/p>\n And that\u2019s why I\u2019ve been absolutely clear and steadfast that we must have the remaining hostages released. That\u2019s been our position throughout, and I absolutely understand the unimaginable horror that Emily went through.<\/p>\n Alongside that we do need to do everything we can to alleviate the humanitarian catastrophy in Gaza, where we are seeing the children and babies starving for want of aid which could be delivered.<\/p>\n And that is why I\u2019ve said unless things materially change on the ground, we\u2019ll have to assess this in September, we will recognize Palestine before the United Nations general assembly in September.<\/p>\n <\/span> Keir Starmer speaks to a reporter during a visit to Workshed in Swindon this morning.<\/span> Photograph: Anthony Upton\/APShare<\/p>\n One of the peers who has signed the letter to Lord Hermer, the attorney general, arguing that recognising a Palestinian state would not be compatible with international law, is Lady Deech<\/strong>, an academic lawyer and former head of an Oxford college who now chairs the House of Lords Appointments Commission. In an interview with Sky News, she said Palestinian state recognition \u201cdefinitely would break the law\u201d. She explained:<\/p>\n The Montevideo Convention has never been challenged. It was based on the existing international law, and it now counts as customary law. And this country is definitely bound by it, as the prime minister must know.<\/p>\n Asked why the government was ignoring this issue, she said: \u201cI think they must have overlooked it.\u201d<\/p>\n Deech said that her main objection to recognition was legal. But she also flagged up other objections. She said that more than 100 countries had already recognised Palestine, \u201cand it\u2019s made no difference on the ground\u201d. She also said that the Palestinians had been offered a state and rejected it \u201cat least four times in the last few decades \u2026 going back to 1938, right through to as recently as 2008\u201d.<\/p>\n <\/span>Lady Deech<\/span> Photograph: Sky NewsShare<\/p>\n To coincide with the release of today\u2019s figures about violence in jails (see 10.36am), the Ministry of Justice<\/strong> has announced that it is using AI to address this problem. In a news release it says:<\/p>\n AI will be used across prisons, probation and courts to better track offenders and assess the risk they pose with tools that can predict violence behind bars, uncover secret messages sent by prisoners and connect offender records across different systems.<\/p>\n The AI violence predictor analyses different factors such as a prisoner\u2019s age and previous involvement in violent incidents while in custody. This will help prison officers assess threat levels on wings and intervene or move prisoners before violence escalates.<\/p>\n Another AI tool will be able to digitally scan the contents of mobile phones seized from prisoners to rapidly flag messages that could provide intelligence on potential crimes being committed behind bars, such as secret code words.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Nine out of 10 nurses have rejected their 3.6% pay award for this year and warned that they could strike later this year unless their salaries are improved, Denis Campbell<\/strong> reports.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n The Ministry of Justice<\/strong> has also published performance figures for prisons in England and Wales for 2024\/25. They show that around half of them are rated as having performance either concern or serious concern.<\/p>\n The figures show 22 prisons (18.5%) rated as of serious concern \u2013 the worst rating. This is the highest figure for almost a decade.<\/p>\n There are also 37 prisons whose performance is of concern. That means 59 prisons (49.6%) were in the bottom two categories in 2024\/25, up from 42% in the previous year.<\/p>\n The MoJ says the increase reflects the fact prisons faced \u201csignificant capacity pressures\u201d over the past year.<\/p>\n <\/span>Prison performance figures<\/span> Photograph: MoJShare<\/p>\n Nigel Farage<\/strong>, the Reform UK leader, has called for a \u201ctech answer\u201d to protecting children online \u2013 while admitting that he does not know what it is.<\/p>\n On Monday he said his party would repeal the Online Safety Act, arguing that rather than protecting children, as the government claims, it will expose them to more danger online because they will use VPNs to get round age verification checks.<\/p>\n In a phone-in on LBC this morning, Farage was confronted by George Nicolaou, who said the law was a \u201cmatter of life and death\u201d for famillies. Nicolaou\u2019s teenage son died after being plagued with \u201chorrific\u201d messages online.<\/p>\n Farage replied:<\/p>\n If age verification of itself was able to prevent incidents and tragedies like this, I would, George, 100% support it. But the problem is it doesn\u2019t, because of the VPN route.\u201d<\/p>\n VPNs, or virtual private networks, can enable internet users to circumvent the new rules, by masking a user\u2019s digital identity.<\/p>\n Farage went on:<\/p>\n There has to be a tech answer around this. I don\u2019t know what it is, certainly the government doesn\u2019t know what it is, but there has to be a tech answer of some kind, and we need to try and find it.<\/p>\n We\u2019re talking about, how do we protect young people? How do we stop them accessing dangerous, violent content, or worse?<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Updated at\u00a006.24 EDT<\/p>\n Earlier I said that there were two main objections to Keir Starmer\u2019s Palestinian state recognition plan (ineffectiveness, and rewarding terror), with a third added today (potential unlawfulness). See 8.50am. I should have made it clear that those are the objections from the anti-recognition side.<\/p>\n As we reported on Tuesday, there are also strong objections from pro-recognition campaigners who want Starmer to be far more supportive of the Palestinians, and who do not believe recogniton should be conditional on what Israel does.<\/p>\n The Palestine Solidarity Campaign<\/strong> is in this camp. Here is an extract from their statement on Starmer\u2019s decision.<\/p>\n Keir Starmer, who refuses even to recognise that Israel is violating international law in Gaza, is offering to recognise a Palestinian state if, and only if, Israel\u2019s starvation and atrocities are still ongoing in two months\u2019 time. If not, what is now being presented as a step towards recognising the Palestinian people\u2019s right to self-determination will be rescinded. His grotesque message to Palestinians is that state recognition may come, but only if and when many, many more of you are dead.<\/p>\n Despite Starmer\u2019s attempt to represent his statements on Tuesday as a turning point, it is abundantly clear to all that it is simply more of the same, but with the possibility of conditional Palestinian statehood in September added to the package of collusion and complicity with genocide.<\/p>\n The PSC statement sets out its full campaign objectives, including a comprehensive arms embargo and sanctions on the entire Israeli government.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Updated at\u00a007.18 EDT<\/p>\n Prisons in England and Wales have become more violent over the past year, figures published by the Ministry of Justice<\/strong> show.<\/p>\n The safety in custody statistics show:<\/p>\n Assaults in jail were up 9% in the 12 months ending March 2025, reaching 356 assaults per 1,000 prisoners (30,846 assaults).<\/strong> But in the most recent quarter, the rate of assaults was unchanged.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Assaults on staff in jail were up 7% in the 12 months ending March 2025, reaching 122 assaults per 1,000 prisoners (10,568 assaults on staff).<\/strong> But in the most recent quarter, they were down 2.5%.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n The rate of serious assaults in jails was up 6% in the 12 months ending March 2025, reaching 39 serious assaults per 1,000 prisoners (3,402 incidents). <\/strong>These figures include serious prisoner-on-prisoner assaults (up 8%) and serious assaults on staff (down 2%).<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n <\/span>Assaults in prisons in England and Wales<\/span> Photograph: MoJShare<\/p>\n Heidi Alexander<\/strong>, the transport secretary, will meet the boss of the UK\u2019s airspace controller today to discuss the 20-minute failure of computer systems that led to widespread disruption yesterday, Jasper Jolly<\/strong> reports. He has more on his business live blog.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Michael Ellis<\/strong>, the former Tory attorney general, has claimed that a decision to recognise the state of Palestine could be challenged in the courts under the judicial review process.<\/p>\n Ellis is reportedly one of the lawyers who have signed the letter to Lord Hermer, the attorney general, saying recognising Palestinian statehood would be contrary to international law (see 8.50am) and he told Times Radio that it was \u201chypocritical\u201d of Keir Starmer to international law considerations on this matter, while stressing the importance of upholding international law in other situations.<\/p>\n Ellis said:<\/p>\n Keir Starmer, as prime minister, has repeatedly said that he would adhere to international law. And he\u2019s gone further than that. He\u2019s taken, you might think, a high moral tone \u2026<\/p>\n He\u2019s said that international law goes absolutely to the heart of his foreign policy. He even went so far as to say \u2013 and I think it was pretty rash for him to do so \u2013 but he said some time ago that a selective pick and mix approach to international law will lead to its disintegration. He said that the criteria set out in international law should not be manipulated for reasons of political expedience. So those are things that he said \u2026<\/p>\n It\u2019s not fine to be hypocritical about that and to say we\u2019re going to follow international law \u2026 when it suits him.<\/p>\n Ellis said that, when Starmer decided to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, he argued that this was necessary because the UK had to comply with international law \u2013 even though the relevant international court ruling was only advisory. But recognising a Palestinian state would be contrary to international law, he claimed.<\/p>\n He added:<\/p>\n If they\u2019re not careful, we could even be talking about judicial review territory here.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Updated at\u00a004.49 EDT<\/p>\n Although Gareth Thomes<\/strong>, the business minister speaking for the government on the morning interview round, said the government did regard recognising a Palestinian state as lawful (see 8.50am), he also argued that ultimately this was a political judgment. He told Times Radio:<\/p>\n In the end, recognition of another state is a political judgment and over 140 countries have already recognised Palestine, and we\u2019re determined to do so in September if Israel does not end the violence in Gaza, agree to a ceasefire and agree to a lasting route towards a two-state solution, and to no annexation in the West Bank.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n In its report, the Times has published quotes from the letter sent by 40 peers to Lord Hermer, the attorney general, arguing that recognising the state of Palestine would be contrary to international law. The peers tell Hermer:<\/p>\n We call on you to advise him [Starmer] that this would be contrary to international law.<\/p>\n You are on record as saying that a commitment to international law goes absolutely to the heart of this government and its approach to foreign policy.<\/p>\n You have said that a selective \u2018pick and mix\u2019 approach to international law will lead to its disintegration, and that the criteria set out in international law should not be manipulated for reasons of political expedience.<\/p>\n Accordingly, we expect you to demonstrate this commitment by explaining to the public and to the government that recognition of Palestine would be contrary to the principles governing recognition of states in international law. We look forward to your response.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Good morning. Keir Starmer has been widely criticised for his announcement on Tuesday that the UK will recognise a Palestinian state unless Israel agrees a ceasefire in Gaza and commits to the two-state solution (which Benjamin Netanyahu\u2019s government does not support). There have been two main objections. The Tories, and others, are mostly dismissing this as pointless, a gesture that will appease Labour MPs without having any practical, positive impact for Palestinians. The other line of attack argues that the move will have an impact, because it will reward Hamas for their attack on Israel, and incentivise them not to make peace or release the remaining hostages. This is what the Israeli government is saying, but the person who has made this argument most forcefully is Emily Damari, a British-Israeli woman held hostage by Hamas for more than a year. Her words have provided the Daily Mail with its splash.<\/p>\n Today the decision is under fire on a third front. According to a story by Matt Dathan, Ali Mitib <\/strong>and Geraldine Scott<\/strong> on the Times front page, the move may unlawful. They say 40 members of the House of Lords have put this point to Lord Hermer, the attorney general, in a letter. They report:<\/p>\n Some of Britain\u2019s most prominent lawyers have warned Sir Keir Starmer that his government\u2019s pledge to recognise a Palestinian state risks breaking international law.<\/p>\n Their intervention, signed by 40 members of the House of Lords, said a Palestinian state would not meet the criteria for recognition as set out under the Montevideo Convention, a treaty signed in 1933 \u2026<\/p>\n The signatories point out that Starmer\u2019s pledge risked undermining the government\u2019s commitment that international law goes \u201cabsolutely to the heart\u201d of its foreign policy.<\/p>\n Under the Montevideo Convention, to qualify for statehood under international law, a state must have a permanent population, a defined territory, a government and the capacity to enter into relations with other states. The peers say that arguably Palestine does not meet any of these four conditions.<\/p>\n According to the Times, the signatories include seven KCs, including Lord Pannick, Lord Collins of Mapesbury, a former supreme court judge, former Tory ministers including Eric Pickles and Andrew Lansley, and Arlene Foster, the former DUP leader.<\/p>\n Keir Starmer is speaking the media later today, but Gareth Thomas<\/strong>, the business minister, has been doing the interview round this morning and he told Times Radio that the government thinks recognising a Palestinian state would be compliant with international law. He explained:<\/p>\n We haven\u2019t signed up to the Montevideo Convention, but is there a clear population in Palestine? Yes, there is in Gaza and the West Bank.<\/p>\n We have made clear that we think you would recognise the state of Palestine, and that state of Palestine would be based on the 1967 borders.<\/p>\n Of course, there would have to be land swaps and there would be a shared capital of Jerusalem. They are well-regarded international views.<\/p>\n As I say, 140 other countries have already recognised the state of Palestine. The prime minister was in talks this week with a series of countries, including Canada, and Canada have overnight, as you will have seen, taken the decision to recognise Palestine in September.<\/p>\n Here is the agenda for the day.<\/p>\n 9.30am:<\/em> The Ministry of Justice publishes figures covering prison numbers, and assaults, deaths and self-harm in jails.<\/p>\n 11am:<\/em> Mourners attend the funeral of Norman Tebbit at St Edmundsbury Cathedral in Bury St Edmunds.<\/p>\n Morning:<\/em> Keir Starmer and Jonathan Reynolds, the business secretary, are on a visit in the south-west of England to promote plans to penalise firms that pay their suppliers late. They are due to give media interviews.<\/p>\n Also, at some point today, Heathrow Airport will submit its third runway plans to the government.<\/p>\n If you want to contact me, please post a message below the line when comments are open (normally between 10am and 3pm at the moment), or message me on social media. I can\u2019t read all the messages BTL, but if you put \u201cAndrew\u201d in a message aimed at me, I am more likely to see it because I search for posts containing that word.<\/p>\n If you want to flag something up urgently, it is best to use social media. You can reach me on Bluesky at @andrewsparrowgdn.bsky.social. The Guardian has given up posting from its official accounts on X, but individual Guardian journalists are there, I still have my account, and if you message me there at @AndrewSparrow, I will see it and respond if necessary.<\/p>\n I find it very helpful when readers point out mistakes, even minor typos. No error is too small to correct. And I find your questions very interesting too. I can\u2019t promise to reply to them all, but I will try to reply to as many as I can, either BTL or sometimes in the blog.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Updated at\u00a004.24 EDT<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Starmer insists UK ‘steadfast’ about wanting hostages released, in response to criticism from woman held captive by Hamas Keir Starmer has ducked a question about claims that recognising the state of Palestine would be contrary to international law. While a government minister rejected this claim in an interview this morning (see 8.50am), Starmer just gave<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13259,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[6949,6948,1233,1668,6947,132,124,958,1347,6945,6946,668],"class_list":{"0":"post-13258","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-politics","8":"tag-captive","9":"tag-criticism","10":"tag-gaza","11":"tag-held","12":"tag-hostages","13":"tag-live","14":"tag-politics","15":"tag-released","16":"tag-starmer","17":"tag-steadfast","18":"tag-wanting","19":"tag-woman"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13258","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13258"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13258\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13259"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13258"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13258"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13258"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Reynolds says Hamas not set Palestinan state recognition ‘conditions’ because UK won’t negotiate with terrorists<\/h2>\n
Business secretary Jonathan Reynolds says peers arguing Palestinian state recognition unlawful ‘missing the point’<\/h2>\n
Portugal joins Canada in moving towards Palestinian state recognition, after Starmer says UK shifting policy too<\/h2>\n
Starmer insists UK ‘steadfast’ about wanting hostages released, in response to criticism from woman held captive by Hamas<\/h2>\n
Government ‘must have overlooked’ legal arguments against recognising Palestinian state, says Lady Deech<\/h2>\n
Nine out of 10 nurses in England, Wales and Northern Ireland reject pay award<\/h2>\n
Almost 50% of prisons in England and Wales fail to get good performance rating, MoJ figures show<\/h2>\n
Farage restates opposition to Online Safety Act – but admits he does not have ‘tech answer’ to protecting children online<\/h2>\n
Prisons in England and Wales becoming more violent, MoJ figures show<\/h2>\n
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Transport secretary Heidi Alexander transport secretary to meet air traffic control boss after flight disruption<\/h2>\n
Former Tory attorney general suggests recognising Palestinian state could be face judicial review legal challenge<\/h2>\n
Recognising Palestine as state ultimately ‘a political judgment’, says business minister Gareth Thomas<\/h2>\n
What peers have said about how recognising state of Palestine would be ‘contrary to international law’<\/h2>\n
Minister dismisses claims that recognising Palestinian state risks breaching international law<\/h2>\n