Day 663 - Et tu, Britain? UK on the brink of recognizing Palestine
The Times of Israel Daily Briefing
The Times of Israel
4.4 • 864 Ratings
🗓️ 30 July 2025
⏱️ 24 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
Political reporter Tal Schneider and diplomatic reporter Nava Freiberg join host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Tuesday that the UK would recognize a Palestinian state in September unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end the war and humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, and meets several other conditions, including recommitting to a viable peace process. This is happening while, for the past several days, high-level representatives at a UN conference have urged Israel to commit to a Palestinian state. We discuss fallout to Starmer's announcement, the “New York Declaration” and which other states may follow suit in potentially recognizing Palestine this fall.
In his announcement, Starmer said that Israel could forestall the recognition by reaching a ceasefire in Gaza, making clear that it will not annex the West Bank (or Gaza), and committing to a peace process that results in a two-state solution. This comes as there are increased rumors of plans to annex parts of the Gaza Strip. But are these rumors just a negotiation tactic? Schneider weighs in.
At the NY two-state solution conference this week, Arab and Muslim countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan and Turkey, signed a declaration condemning for the first time Hamas’s onslaught of October 7, 2023, and calling on the Palestinian terror group to release all the hostages it is holding, disarm and end its rule of Gaza, in a bid to end the devastating war in the Strip. Schneider and Freiberg explain that all may not be as laudable it seems.
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
UK to recognize Palestinian state in Sept. unless Israel ends Gaza war, commits to peace
PM says ‘obstinate’ Hamas blocking hostage deal, as he weighs annexing parts of Gaza
In 1st, entire Arab League condemns Oct. 7, urges Hamas to disarm, at 2-state solution confab
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IMAGE: Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers a statement inside No. 10 Downing Street after the cabinet was recalled to discuss the situation in Gaza, in London, July 29, 2025. (Toby Melville, Pool Photo via AP)
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to the Times of Israel's daily briefing. Today is Wednesday, July 30th, day 663 of the war. |
| 0:12.0 | Amanda Borchelle Dan here with our political correspondent, Tal Schneider and diplomatic reporter |
| 0:16.7 | Navajoieberg, joining us for the very first time. Hello to you both. Hi, Amanda. Hi, |
| 0:23.4 | Navar. I've waited so long to say this. Hello, Amanda. Hi, Tal. Hello, Navar. So yesterday, |
| 0:30.0 | British Prime Minister, Kier Starrmer, announced that the UK would recognize a Palestinian state |
| 0:35.4 | in September unless the Israeli government takes substantive |
| 0:39.4 | steps to end the war and humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip and meet several other conditions, |
| 0:46.5 | including recommitting to a viable peace process. We'll discuss all of that. And the end of the war |
| 0:53.3 | obviously seems increasingly unlikely as |
| 0:56.5 | ceasefire hostage-release negotiations are at a standstill. In the meantime, the idea of annexing |
| 1:03.4 | the Gaza Strip is increasingly bandied about the halls of the Knesset. Is this just another |
| 1:10.1 | negotiation lever? |
| 1:12.3 | And we'll hear about the Arab League's condemnation of Hamas and the massacre it perpetrated |
| 1:17.6 | on October 7, 2023 for the very first time. |
| 1:22.0 | What does this condemnation mean right now? |
| 1:25.1 | So all of this and more when we're back. |
| 1:34.3 | In a powerful series of interviews in this season of legends among us, Rabbi Benji talks with |
| 1:41.1 | young widows in their 20s who lost their spouses in the current war in Israel. |
| 1:47.2 | Ordinary people that were so extraordinary that most of us never realized it until we couldn't help |
| 1:53.9 | but recognize it. And so in 2024, Tafshin Pai Dalit, I invited seven of these legends to have an open and honest conversation, |
| 2:03.6 | to reflect on the loved ones they lost, go back to the moment when they found out, and ask them |
| 2:09.6 | how they're currently grappling with this incredible loss while it was still fresh. |
... |
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