No 10 decline to say if Palestine will be recognised with Hamas in power

The premier minister's spokesperson has refused 8 times to corroborate whether designation of Palestine could spell up if Hamas remain in powerfulness and the hostages are not released. 

Keir Starmer's spokesperson was questioned by journalists for the archetypal clip since the announcement past week that the UK volition formally recognise the authorities successful September - unless Israel meets definite conditions including abiding by a ceasefire and expanding aid.

The argumentation has been criticised by the families of UK hostages, campaigners and immoderate Labour MPs, who reason it would reward Hamas and accidental it should beryllium conditional connected the merchandise of the remaining hostages.

A elder Hamas politician, Ghazi Hamad, speaking to Al Jazeera, said astatine the play that large nations' determination to recognise a Palestinian authorities "is 1 of the fruits of 7 October".

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The PM's spokesperson said connected Monday: "The PM is wide that connected 7 October, Hamas committed the worst enactment of panic successful Israel's history. That fearfulness has continued since then.

"As the overseas caput said implicit the weekend, Hamas are rightly pariahs who tin person nary relation successful Gaza's future, determination is simply a diplomatic statement connected that. Hamas indispensable instantly merchandise each hostages and person nary relation successful the governance of Gaza."

But asked whether removing Hamas from powerfulness and releasing hostages were conditions for statehood, helium said a determination connected designation would beryllium made astatine the UN General Assembly gathering successful September, based connected "an appraisal of however acold the parties person met the steps we person acceptable out. No 1 broadside volition person veto connected designation done their actions oregon inactions."

He added: "Our absorption is connected the contiguous concern connected the ground, getting much assistance successful to extremity the suffering successful Gaza and supporting a ceasefire and a semipermanent bid for Israelis and Palestinians based a two-state solution."

Starmer, who recalled his furniture for an exigency gathering past week earlier mounting retired the caller position, is pursuing the pb of French president Emmanuel Macron, who archetypal pledged to determination toward recognising Palestinian statehood successful April.

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Canada has besides backed designation if conditions are met, including by the Palestinian Authority.

The premier curate had antecedently said helium would recognise a authorities of Palestine arsenic portion of a publication to a bid process.

In his announcement past Tuesday, helium said: "We request to spot astatine slightest 500 trucks entering Gaza each day. But ultimately, the lone mode to bring this humanitarian situation to an extremity is done a semipermanent settlement.

"So we are supporting the US, Egyptian and Qatari efforts to unafraid a captious ceasefire. That ceasefire indispensable beryllium sustainable and it indispensable pb to a wider bid plan, which we are processing with our planetary partners.

"I've ever said we volition recognise a Palestinian authorities arsenic a publication to a due bid process, astatine the infinitesimal of maximum interaction for the two-state solution. With that solution present nether threat, this is the infinitesimal to act."

Adam Rose, a lawyer acting for British families of hostages successful Gaza, has said: "Why would Hamas hold to a ceasefire if it knew that to bash truthful would marque British designation of Palestine little likely?"