Gaza latest: Two countries boycotting French-led two-state solution summit after UK recognises Palestine

As you can see in the map below, the UK's Foreign Office has updated its map of Palestinian territories.

It now shows the West Bank and Gaza as Palestine (rather than the Occupied Palestinian Territories).

In a note alongside the map, the Foreign Office says it should not be considered an authority on the placement of international boundaries.

Germany is the latest country to warn Israel against any further annexation in the West Bank.

There are concerns Israel will do just that, as we outlined in our 8.26 post.

Germany has been one of Israel's most steadfast backers, and is among the countries refusing to recognise a Palestinian state at this moment.

Protesters in Italy are calling for a halt in arms sales to Israel.

As part of a 'Let's Block Everything' demonstration, crowds have gathered in cities around the country.

Dockworkers in the port of the northwestern city of Genoa have blocked access roads, waving Palestinian flags.

Down the coast in the city of Livorno, an entrance to the port was blocked by protesting workers.

These dockworkers say they don't want Italy to be a staging post for the transfer of arms to Israel.

"The Palestinian people continue to give us yet another lesson in dignity and resistance," said Ricky, a protester from a group called the Autonomous Port Workers' Collective.

"We learn from them and try to do our part."

Demonstrations have been planned for many Italian cities today.

The right-wing government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is a traditional supporter of Israel, but there is growing unease in recent months over the relentless military campaign in Gaza.

The Palestinian flag has been raised at a ceremony in London, marking a new embassy in the UK at the site of the Palestinian Mission.

That's after the UK recognised Palestinian statehood.

Husam Zomlot, the head of the Palestinian Mission, spoke at the event a few minutes ago, calling for a full arms embargo on Israel.

He made the remarks while standing next to the UK's minister for the Middle East, Hamish Falconer, who spoke to us on this very issue earlier this morning.

"Let me be really clear about the licences, we are providing no bombs, no bullets that could be used in Gaza," he told our presenter Matt Barbet.

But there are other materials that could be used in military hardware, Barbet put to him.

Falconer said those are components used only for the protection of civilians - and can't be used in Gaza or the West Bank.

"So, for example, the Iron Dome requires components that cannot be used in Gaza, can't be used in the West Bank," he said.

"It's just about protecting civilians in Israel from potential attacks from Iran and others. That is part of our policy. We do not want to see innocent civilians being hit."

Something many in the international community have advocated is a two-state solution.

This is on the agenda at a summit held by France and Saudi Arabia today (see our 8.50 post) and would see an independent Palestine established alongside the existing state of Israel - giving both their own territory.

The Palestinians seek an independent state in the West Bank, Gaza and annexed East Jerusalem, which has been occupied by Israel since the 1967 Six-Day War.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and most of Israel's political class have long been opposed to Palestinian statehood.

They argue it would reward militants after the 7 October attacks launched by Hamas in 2023.

One of the biggest obstacles to a two-state solution would be deciding what the borders of a potential Palestinian state would be.

Many believe they should be the same ones that existed before 1967.

But, since then, increasing numbers of Israeli settlements have been established inside the West Bank, with around 700,000 Israelis now living there and in occupied East Jerusalem.

More than 145 countries have already recognised a Palestinian state.

This includes more than a dozen in Europe.

The list is expected to grow today, with France set to make an announcement (see our 10.30 post).

They could be joined by neighbours Luxembourg and Belgium, with Malta also declaring their intention to recognise Palestinian statehood.

Not everyone is on board, however. US opposition is well known, and some in Europe agree now is not the time.

Those include Germany, where the issue is currently not up for debate, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said last week.

Italy also has no plans for recognition, nor do Austria and the Netherlands.

After the UK recognised Palestinian statehood yesterday, a flag-raising ceremony is underway in London now.

This will usher in what will become the Palestinian embassy.

Watch the event in the live stream at the top of this page.

Danny Ayalon, Israel's former deputy foreign minister, has told our presenter Matt Barbet that recognising a Palestinian state only makes things worse.

The UK is singling out Israeli military actions and giving special treatment to Palestinians as the victims of war in a way that it hasn't for other countries, Ayalon argues, which he says is "on the verge of almost antisemitism".

"I don't recall the UK doing much in recognition of the Kurds when they suffered a massacre, or people in Darfur, or the Druze in Syria," he said.

"It's... a complex world. So, you have to take a different approach."

Ayalon called the UK's decision to recognise Palestine "wrong" and "indefensible", especially in the context of Hamas's massacres of Israelis on 7 October 2023.

He added: "Now, when it comes to what is happening in Gaza - deplorable. 

"But who is responsible for that? It's Hamas."

Ayalon added Hamas is the only existential threat to Palestine, not Israel.

He said: "Ideology coupled with the territory, this is a threat. If you deny a territory from an ideology, then it becomes more esoteric and less of a threat."

Watch his full remarks in the video below...

France is convening world leaders to rally for a two-state solution today, ahead of the UN General Assembly tomorrow (see our 8.50 post).

Several nations at that meeting may recognise Palestinian statehood.

And they're almost certainly going to be led by France, with Emmanuel Macron expected to make an announcement today.

"We have to recognise the legitimate right of Palestinian people to have a state," he said last week on Israeli television Channel 12. 

"If you don't give a political perspective, in fact you just put them in the hands of those who are just proposing a security approach, an aggressive approach."

In an interview overnight with US broadcaster CBS, he said recognising the Palestinian state today "is the only way to provide a political solution to a situation which has to stop".

Macron added: "Hamas is just obsessed by destroying Israel, but I recognise the legitimacy of so many Palestinian people who want a state, who are a people.

"They want a nation, they want a state, and we should not push them toward Hamas. If we don't offer them a political perspective and such a recognition, the unique answer will be security, and they will be completely trapped by Hamas."

By Celine Alkhaldi, Middle East producer

At al Shifa Hospital, the human cost of Gaza's war is laid bare.

Six relatives of its director, Dr Mohammed Abu Salmiya, including his brother, were among those killed when their home in Gaza City was struck on Saturday.

He was on duty when their bodies were brought to the city's largest hospital, a place already overwhelmed by casualties and struggling to function after months of bombardment.

Gaza's health authorities say at least 34 people were killed and 200 wounded.

Head of the emergency department at al Shifa, Dr Mutaz Harara, told Paste BN that fear is driving both patients and staff away.

For their full account, tap on the link below...