London – The Palestinian Return Centre (PRC) welcomes the United Kingdom’s official recognition of the State of Palestine, regarding it as a long-awaited historic milestone and a step towards redressing the historical injustice inflicted upon the Palestinian people since the issuance of the Balfour Declaration by this very government, a declaration that paved the way for decades of suffering. This recognition, announced by the British Government, constitutes an acknowledgment of the Palestinian people’s inalienable right to self-determination and must serve as a starting point for a binding political path to end the occupation.

PRC values this decision, which comes amid growing international momentum, with Britain joining other European countries such as Spain, Ireland, and Norway that have recently taken similar steps. This reflects the increasing political isolation of Israel’s settler-colonial project and builds the foundations for genuine international pressure to implement United Nations resolutions.

However, PRC warns against allowing this recognition to remain merely symbolic, stressing that its true value will be measured by the concrete measures that follow. As long as the Palestinian people continue to face a documented crime of genocide in Gaza and systematic ethnic cleansing in the West Bank, recognition on paper remains devoid of substance unless translated into tangible protection on the ground.

Accordingly, PRC calls on the UK Government to transform this recognition into an effective policy by immediately taking the following steps:

PRC stresses that recognition must not serve as a means to defuse mounting public and rights-based pressure in Britain. Instead, it should reflect a fundamental shift in UK policy that ends decades of complicity with Israel’s system of apartheid.

The path to a just and lasting peace can only be realised through the application of international law. The responsibility now rests with the UK Government and its allies to ensure that the “State of Palestine” does not remain a slogan but becomes a reality through ending the occupation, dismantling settlements, and upholding the right of return for Palestinian refugees in accordance with UN Resolution 194.

Finally, PRC warns against Israeli attempts to divert attention from its crimes in Gaza and the evolving shifts in European policy by targeting human rights and solidarity organisations under the pretext of influencing European political decisions, an act that constitutes blatant interference in internal affairs and a deliberate attempt to discredit legitimate solidarity with the Palestinian people.