For the United Kingdom to recognise the state of Palestine immediately
This petition gathered 283,669 signatures between 4 January 2024 and 29 May 2024, according to the Parliament petitions site. The Government responded on 27 February 2024. MPs debated it in Westminster Hall on 16 December 2024.
The petition
The petition's creator is not named in the Petitions site's published record. Quoted in full from the UK Parliament petitions site.
For the United Kingdom to recognise the state of Palestine immediately
We believe that the Government needs to recognise the state of Palestine immediately. Otherwise we don't think they can legitimately say they back a two-state solution.
Because we want the people of Palestine to know we see them, recognise their struggle and take responsibility for our part in it.
The Government's response
The Government published its response on 27 February 2024; the petitions site lists the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office as responsible. Its summary:
We must give Palestinians a credible political pathway and irreversible momentum towards the establishment of Palestine. We will recognise a Palestinian State when most conducive to the peace process.
The opening 392 words of the 482-word response:
The UK unequivocally supports a two-state solution, one that guarantees security and stability for both the Israeli and Palestinian people.
We have also been clear that must give the people of the West Bank and Gaza the political perspective of a credible route to a Palestinian state and a new future, and that this needs to be irreversible. This is not entirely in our gift, but Britain and our partners can help by confirming our commitment to a sovereign, viable Palestinian state, and our vision for its composition. Crucially, we must state our clear intention to grant it recognition, including at the United Nations. As the Foreign Secretary has said, that can’t come at the start of the process, but neither does it have to be at the very end. Our long-standing position has been that we will recognise a Palestinian State at a time that is most conducive to the peace process.
The Palestinian Authority has an important long-term role to play in achieving this goal, and so we must work with our allies to provide serious, practical and enduring support needed to bolster the Palestinian Authority. We already provide technical and practical support and are ready to do more. But the Palestinian Authority also must take much needed steps on reform, including setting out a pathway to democratic progress.
As a priority, we want to see an end to the fighting in Gaza as soon as possible. This is why we are calling for an immediate pause to get aid in and hostages out, then progress towards a sustainable, permanent ceasefire, without a return to destruction, fighting and loss of life. The formation of a new Palestinian Government for the West Bank and Gaza, accompanied by an international support package, and a political horizon which provides a credible and irreversible pathway towards a two-state solution, are two vital steps to achieve this. In parallel we need to see the release of all hostages; Hamas’s capacity to launch attacks against Israel removed; and Hamas no longer being in charge of Gaza.
The Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary have reiterated these messages with Prime Minister Netanyahu and other senior Israeli political leaders, including during the Foreign Secretary’s visit to Israel on 24th January. They have also raised these points with leaders in Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon in recent weeks.
Read the full response on the petitions site.
Where the signatures came from
Signatures came from 650 constituencies on the boundaries used until the 2024 general election. The largest number, 3,315, came from Bethnal Green and Bow.
281,779 of the signatures were from the UK and 1,890 from elsewhere, by the location signers gave.
| Constituency | Signatures |
|---|---|
| Bethnal Green and Bow | 3,315 |
| Poplar and Limehouse | 3,052 |
| Ilford South | 2,584 |
| West Ham | 2,356 |
| East Ham | 2,285 |
| Birmingham, Hall Green | 2,207 |
| Hackney North and Stoke Newington | 2,133 |
| Blackburn | 2,131 |
| Leicester South | 2,112 |
| Hackney South and Shoreditch | 1,998 |
| Region | Signatures |
|---|---|
| London | 84,596 |
| South East | 32,370 |
| North West | 32,361 |
| West Midlands | 23,907 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 21,227 |
| East of England | 19,624 |
| Scotland | 18,196 |
| South West | 15,947 |
| East Midlands | 14,913 |
| Wales | 7,503 |
| North East | 5,359 |
| Northern Ireland | 3,931 |
Debate in Parliament
MPs debated the petition in Westminster Hall on 16 December 2024. Read the debate in Hansard. House of Commons Library debate pack.
Source and receipt
- https://petition.parliament.uk/archived/petitions/653509.jsonUK Parliament Petitions API · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
1b98410790a10212… - The petition on petition.parliament.uk
The petition's words are its creator's and the response is the Government's; this site quotes both and gives no view on either. Signature counts can still change while a petition is open. To report an error, send a correction request.