If Britain recognises a Palestinian state, it will be a gesture. That doesn’t mean it is pointless | Simon McDonald

A two-state solution is the only solution. Starmer should be honest about this, and get on with the hard work it will require

Simon McDonald was the British ambassador to Israel from 2003 to 2006

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he idea that if you really, really believe something you can make it happen seems to be the best explanation for Britain and France’s recent statements that they will recognise a Palestinianstate. No matter how fervent Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron are, their fervour will not make an impossible thing happen. There is no Palestinian state, and there certainly won’t be one by September.

For mostly domestic political reasons, they have decided to set aside that fact. Recognition is an understandable gesture, but it will do nothing to solve the current famine, and is doomed in the short term because there is no real state to recognise. But there’s also a clear reason why some sort of action – even if it’s purely symbolic – is needed. The situation in Gaza is appalling. If Starmer and Macron proceed with recognition, how can we manage the short-term disappointment of recognising a state that does not exist, while moving towards a two-state solution in the long term?