Saudi Arabia can normalize ties with Israel only after the establishment of a Palestinian state, Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan said, reiterating the kingdom’s stance days after President Emmanuel Macron said France would recognize it in September.

The Trump administration boycotts U.N. summit on Palestinian statehood co-sponsored by France and Saudi Arabia, as critics call the event a stumbling block to peace efforts in the Middle East.

Starmer is already committed to recognising a state of Palestine which he has described as “an inalienable right”, but, unlike French president Emmanuel Macron, he has resisted doing so immediately. While Starmer does not need US approval, coordinating foreign policy with the US has long been a key strategy.

Two government officials said Britain was actively weighing the recognition of a Palestinian state, in a shift driven by public pressure over starvation in Gaza.

France has announced it will recognize the state of Palestine, a move that could shift discussions about the Middle East’s future.

President Emmanuel Macron published a letter sent to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas confirming France's intention to press ahead with Palestinian recognition and work to convince other partners to follow suit.

The French president, expressing a moral obligation to address suffering in Gaza, made clear he had lost patience with the United States and Israel. The question is what effect he will have.

Mapped: Which countries recognise Palestine as a state? - There are 147 UN member states out of 193 that recognise the state of Palestine - but the UK is not one of them

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Saturday that recognising the State of Palestine before it is established could be counterproductive.

The editorial manager for the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication, Andrea Tornielli, called for a “two-state solution” and recognition of Palestine as a state.