Hello and welcome to NewsHour. It's coming to you live from the BBC World Service

Studios in central London. I'm Tim Franks. And we're beginning with a moment, a moment that could

just be that, a declaration made that ultimately makes zero difference, zero impact, and is swiftly forgotten.

Or it could be a moment which perhaps could be a reference point, a change in policy which

signifies, even contributes to, a major geopolitical shift.

What I'm talking about is the announcement by the British Prime Minister, Kyr Starma,

that unless the Israeli government changes course over Gaza

and the longer-term conflict with the Palestinians by September,

the UK will formally recognise a Palestinian state.

Already more than 140 countries have done just that.

One distinguishing feature about the UK is its history.

Britain ruled Palestine, as it was called then, for 30 years in the first half of the 20th century.

And it helped lay the foundations for a homeland for the Jewish people on that land.

Hence, maybe why the British Foreign Secretary David Lammy put it this way in his

speech on Tuesday at the United Nations in New York. It is with the hand of history on our shoulders

that His Majesty's government therefore intends to recognise the state of Palestine when the UN General Assembly gathers in September here in the room.

Emily Thornberry is a senior member of the British Parliament with the governing Labour Party

and the chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee.

Only recently the Prime Minister and his Foreign Secretary were saying that they didn't want to engage in gesture politics,

as they put it, by prematurely recognising a Palestinian state without any prospect of it happening soon.

So what's changed?

The reason it needs to be done now is not least because of what's happening on the ground.

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