Emily Thornberry: time is coming to recognise Palestinian state
Foreign Affairs Select Committee chair speaks out after President Macron's remarks on recognition
Lee Harpin is the Jewish News's political editor
Foreign Affairs Select Committee chair Emily Thornberry has appeared to back calls for the UK to join with the French and other international “friends” in recognising the state of Palestine.
Asked for her view on when the UK should come out in support of recognition, the MP for Islington South said: “The time is coming. If we don’t act now, there will be no Palestine left to recognise. We need to do it with the French. There are a lot of other countries sitting back and waiting.”
The former shadow foreign secretary’s comments came after Emmanuel Macron, the French president, suggested his country plans to recognise Palestine at an international conference set for June.
France is co-chairing the conference at the UN in New York alongside Saudi Arabia, and Macron has said the conference must be a decisive moment.
Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar, criticised Macron’s comments on social media posting: “Unilateral recognition of a fictional Palestinian state … is a reward for terror and a boost to Hamas.”
The Knesset voted heavily last month against a two-state solution, but the leader of the Israeli opposition, Yair Lapid is open to the possibility if it is clear Hamas play no role in any future Palestinian government.
Macron later wrote on social media that any move to recognition also required commitments from the Palestinians.
Writing in Hebrew on X, he said to be committed to Israel’s security while supporting a Palestinian state “without Hamas”.
“This requires the release of hostages, a ceasefire, humanitarian aid, and a two-state political solution,” Macron wrote. “There is no other path.”
The UK government is currently supportive of a process that leads to an eventual two state solution but the long-standing position remains that it will recognise a Palestinian state at a time that is most conducive to that peace process.
Ireland, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and Mexico were the most recent countries to recognise a Palestinian state in March 2025, but no G20 country has taken the step.
Responding to Macron’s plan for the June conference, Yair Netanayhu wrote “Screw you” on social media.
In a Sunday evening tweet, his father and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote: “I love my son Yair, a true Zionist who cares about the future of his country.
“Like every citizen, he is entitled to his personal opinion, although the style of his response to President Macron’s tweet calling for the establishment of a Palestinian state is unacceptable to me.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
