Dozens of former UK ambassadors and diplomats have piled pressure on Keir Starmer to recognise a Palestinian state amid growing international revulsion at the harrowing scenes in Gaza.
Their letter to the prime minister came as the archbishop of York condemned the dehumanisation of people in Gaza as “depraved” and “barbaric”. It was “a stain on the conscience of the international community”, and Israel’s “war of aggression” was a “grave sin”, said Stephen Cottrell, the de facto leader of the Church of England.
The strength of the language used by Cottrell is a reflection of rapidly shifting opinion as images emerge from Gaza of starving children and accounts of civilians being killed as they try to secure food for their families.
In Starmer’s cabinet, there has been a growing sense of horror and despair in recent weeks over Israel’s actions and the scenes in Gaza. This week, Wes Streeting, the health secretary, publicly called for recognition while there was “still a state of Palestine left to recognise” and condemned Israeli actions that went “well beyond legitimate self-defence”.
On Wednesday, Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, urged the UK government to recognise a Palestinian state immediately, saying the scenes in Gaza were “absolutely harrowing”.
In a statement on X, he wrote: “The international community – including our own government – must do far more to pressure the Israeli government to stop this horrific, senseless killing and let vital, life-saving aid in. Nothing justifies the actions of the Israeli government.”
The letter to Starmer, which was signed by more than 30 former UK ambassadors and 20 former senior British diplomats at the United Nations, said the status quo in Gaza could be broken by recognising the state of Palestine.
“The risks of inaction have profound, historic and catastrophic implications,” it said. The state of Israel “cannot be secure from threats in the future if the question of Palestine is not taken forward to a political settlement”.
It added: “In the face of the current horror and impunity, words are not enough … A partial suspension of arms sales, delays on trade talks and limited sanctions are far from the full extent of the pressure the UK can bring to bear on Israel.”
Recognising a Palestinian state would be a “foundational first step towards breaking the deadly status quo”, the letter said.
Signatories included the former UK ambassadors to Afghanistan, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Pakistan, Qatar, Syria and Turkey.
The letter reflects deep concern among former diplomats that Starmer appears reluctant to engage with the Middle East crisis, or understand that ineffective action will do little to assuage British reputation in the region.
One of the signatories said the letter reflected a strong current of opinion inside the Foreign Office over the recognition issue, but such a claim is hard to test.
Stephen Cottrell, who has assumed many of the archbishop of Canterbury’s official functions since the resignation of Justin Welby, called for an immediate and permanent ceasefire. Photograph: Toby Melville/Reuters
Cottrell’s statement, issued on Wednesday, said: “With each passing day in Gaza, the violence, starvation and dehumanisation being inflicted on the civilian population by the government of Israel becomes more depraved and unconscionable.
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“In the name of God, I cry out against this barbaric assault on human life and dignity. It is a stain on the conscience of the international community, and a flagrant breach of international humanitarian law.”
He added: “I have condemned many times the horrific Hamas attacks on 7 October, and I continue to call for the release of those still cruelly held hostage. We deplore every assault on the innocent. But … this war is now one of aggression – it is a grave sin and it must stop.”
Cottrell called for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, the release of all hostages and captives and for the rebuilding of Gaza. Any policy “that would amount to the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian population from Gaza” must be rejected, he said.
Earlier on Wednesday, 111 aid organisations said “mass starvation” was spreading in Gaza as a result of continued Israeli restrictions on how aid arrived and was distributed in the territory.
The organisations, including Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Save the Children and Oxfam, said: “Our colleagues and those we serve are wasting away.” Israel claims aid is being allowed to enter Gaza but it is being stolen by Hamas.
There have been repeated incidents of civilians being shot while trying to access food from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an organisation backed by Israel that replaced the UN aid infrastructure in May. The UN says Israeli forces have since killed more than 1,000 Palestinians trying to get food.
The UK foreign secretary, David Lammy, who said he felt “appalled, sickened” by the scenes of starving Palestinians being shot as they sought food, said Britain would “play its part” in reaching a two-state solution.
