UK envoy rejects idea that statehood recognition rewards Hamas

The United Kingdom’s announcement that it will recognize a Palestinian state in September unless Israel commits to ending the war in Gaza and to a long-term peace plan does not constitute a reward for Hamas, British ambassador to Israel Simon Walters tells Israeli reporters, pushing back against claims by Israeli and American leaders.

“It is absolutely categorically not [a reward],” says Walters, reiterating British Prime Minister Kier Starmer’s condemnation of the terror group and adding that Hamas’s vision does not align with the UK’s announcement — “they want the destruction of Israel, not the two-state solution.”

“I recognize that for many Israelis the idea of a Palestinian state is concerning, but the UK is deeply committed to Israeli security,” he says. He claims that Hamas statements welcoming the decision are merely “an attempt to claim some credit where they have achieved nothing.”

Walters emphasizes that the UK’s decision “is part of a larger package which is intended to isolate Hamas and point the way for a vision for peace in the Middle East.”

An important component of that plan is the statement signed by the Arab League and other Muslim and Arab states at a United Nations conference last month promoting the two-state solution — a statement he calls “really strategically important” that “hasn’t received enough attention.”

“If there was a peace process, if the Palestinian Authority and Israeli government were in regular dialogue about a permanent settlement to the conflict, we would consider our timing… to be part of that process; but there isn’t a process and that’s the problem,” he adds.

Walters also condemns settler violence in the West Bank, “for which [Israel] seems to [impose] no consequences.”

He highlights the urgency to address the “horrifying” humanitarian situation in Gaza, calling on Israel to allow “full unrestricted access” to aid.

Addressing Israel’s claims that Hamas systematically loots assistance and disrupts its distribution, Walters says, “Hamas stealing aid may be true… the evidence on that is mixed,” but urges a surge of aid into the Strip — as Israel attempted to do in March of last year — arguing that flooding Gaza with aid would disincentivize Hamas or others from stealing them.

He adds that failure to address the crisis is “also catastrophic for Israel,” pointing to “the damage it’s doing to Israel’s reputation” overseas.