00:00In the face of the growing horror in the Middle East, we are acting to keep alive the possibility of peace and a two-state solution.
00:11That means a safe and secure Israel alongside a viable Palestinian state.
00:18At the moment, we have neither.
00:21Ordinary people, Israeli and Palestinian, deserve to live in peace, to try to rebuild their lives free from violence and suffering.
00:34That's what the British people desperately want to see.
00:39Yet, almost two years after the barbaric attacks of October 7th, hostages are still held by the terrorists of Hamas.
00:52Recent images show the hostages suffering and emaciated.
00:58Hamas even refused to release all the bodies of the dead.
01:03I have met British families of the hostages.
01:06I see the torture that they endure each and every day.
01:12Pain that strikes deep in people's hearts across Israel and here in the United Kingdom.
01:18The hostages must be released immediately and we will keep fighting to bring them home.
01:27Let's be frank.
01:29Hamas is a brutal terror organisation.
01:32Our call for a genuine two-state solution is the exact opposite of their hateful vision.
01:42So we are clear.
01:44This solution is not a reward for Hamas because it means Hamas can have no future, no role in government, no role in security.
01:55We have already prescribed and sanctioned Hamas and we will go further.
02:02I have directed work to sanction other Hamas figures in the coming weeks.
02:06Meanwhile, the man-made humanitarian crisis in Gaza reaches new depths.
02:15The Israeli government's relentless and increasing bombardment of Gaza.
02:21However, the offensive of recent weeks, the starvation and devastation are utterly intolerable.
02:32Tens of thousands have been killed, including thousands as they try to collect food and water.
02:39This death and destruction horrifies all of us.
02:46It must end.
02:48We have evacuated the first group of sick and injured children to the United Kingdom to be treated by the NHS.
02:56And we continue to increase our humanitarian support.
02:59But still, nowhere near enough aid is getting through.
03:05We call again on the Israeli government to lift the unacceptable restrictions at the border.
03:13Stop these cruel tactics and let the aid surge in.
03:17With the actions of Hamas, the Israeli government escalating the conflict, and settlement building being accelerated in the West Bank.
03:29The hope of a two-state solution is fading.
03:35But we cannot let that light go out.
03:39That is why we are building consensus with leaders in the region and beyond, around our framework for peace.
03:48This is a practical plan to bring people together behind a common vision and a series of steps,
03:57including the reform of the Palestinian Authority,
04:00that takes us from a ceasefire in Gaza to negotiations on a two-state solution.
04:09We will keep driving this forward.
04:13As part of this effort, I set out in July the terms upon which we would act,
04:21in line with our manifesto, to recognise Palestinian statehood.
04:27That moment has now arrived.
04:32So today, to revive the hope of peace and a two-state solution,
04:37I state clearly, as Prime Minister of this great country,
04:44that the United Kingdom formally recognises the state of Palestine.
04:53We recognise the state of Israel more than 75 years ago as a homeland for the Jewish people.
05:00Today, we join over 150 countries who recognise a Palestinian state also.
05:10A pledge to the Palestinian and Israeli people that there can be a better future.
05:18I know the strength of feeling that this conflict provokes.
05:25We have seen it on our streets, in our schools, in conversations we've had with friends and family.
05:33It has created division.
05:36Some have used it to stoke hatred and fear, but that solves nothing.
05:43Not only must we reject hate, we must redouble our efforts to combat hatred in all its forms.
05:53We must channel our efforts, united together in hope, behind the peaceful future that we want to see.
06:02The release of the hostages, an end to the violence, an end to the suffering,
06:09and a shift back towards a two-state solution as the best hope for peace and security for all sides.
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