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

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...

The Israeli military has been warning Palestinians in and around Gaza City to evacuate and head south to what it calls humanitarian zones.

Those areas are already overcrowded and many residents are concerned they cannot afford to make the trip down, which they fear won't guarantee their safety in any case.

These are some of the latest images from today as more Palestinians try to make the journey south.

With suggestions Israel could press on with annexation of the West Bank after countries such as the UK recognised a Palestinian state, could the move actually make things worse?

"Things are already getting worse in the West Bank," Hamish Falconer, minister for the Middle East, told our presenter Matt Barbet.

"And I would say to the Israeli government, they should think very carefully indeed before they take any further steps in the West Bank."

But they're "not listening to the UK government", Barbet said in response, with the US being the only body with real influence.

So, did Sir Keir Starmer raise this with Donald Trump during his state visit here?

"The prime minister did have discussions with President Trump in private about this, and you saw some of that discussion about that afterwards in the press conference," Falconer said.

Watch their exchange in the video below...

By Nicole Johnston, news correspondent, in Australia

Australia has followed in the footsteps of the UK and recognised a Palestinian state.

It's been a hot political issue here. While the Australian Labor government has been preparing the public for this announcement for some time, the Liberal-National opposition is strongly opposed to it and says if it returns to power, it will reverse the decision.

Regardless, Australia has joined more than 150 countries to formally confer recognition. 

It does come with conditions. The Australian government wants Palestinian elections to be held and the Palestinian Authority reformed. It also insists Hamas cannot have a role in a future Palestinian state.

Last month, there were nationwide protests against the war in Gaza. Tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators braved pouring rain in Sydney to walk across the city's iconic bridge.

The numbers were so huge (with reports of more than 200,000 people) that police had to eventually cancel the march for public safety. But the point had been made.

Speaking in New York after announcing recognition, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said: "You can't watch what is unfolding there and not have a response."   

There has been a huge upsurge in support for Palestinian rights in this country and increasing frustration at what is seen by many Australians as Israeli impunity in its conduct during the war.

The federal government has been gradually shifting its position on the recognition of Palestine. It has clearly been part of an international coordinated effort to put diplomatic pressure on the Israeli government.

After Australia announced last month it planned to recognise a state in the Occupied Territories, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Albanese of "weakness", said that his legacy was "forever tarnished" and that he had "betrayed Israel and abandoned the Jewish community in Australia".

Australia insists its foreign policy will not be dictated by Israel or the US.

Dozens of world leaders are convening today in support of a two-state solution, at the behest of France and Saudi Arabia.

Several are expected to formally recognise a Palestinian state, a move that could draw a harsh reaction from Israel and the US.

Both have said they will boycott the summit - which comes as the UN General Assembly gets under way in New York, where there will be a renewed push for a peace plan.

Israel's UN envoy Danny Danon described the French-Saudi summit as a "circus".

"We don't think it's helpful, we think it's actually rewarding terrorism," he said.

As Israel intensifies its offensive in Gaza, there is a growing sense of urgency among nations to act now before the idea of a two-state solution collapses. 

The General Assembly endorsed a declaration this month outlining "tangible, timebound, and irreversible steps" towards a two-state solution. 

It also condemned Hamas and called on it to surrender and disarm.

Plan for the day after

France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said last week that the declaration is "a roadmap that begins with the top priorities: a ceasefire, the release of hostages, and the unimpeded entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza".

"Once the ceasefire and release of hostages are achieved, the next step is a plan for the day after, which will be on the agenda for Monday's discussions," he added.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is not there, despite co-hosting the event.

The General Assembly agreed he could appear via video at today's meeting.

With more countries recognising Palestinian statehood, concerns are growing around Israel's response - particularly regarding the West Bank.

The UK's foreign secretary has already warned Israel not to expand settlements there (see the post just below this one).

But it is believed Israel is considering annexation in the occupied West Bank as a possible response to the widespread recognition.

Just last month, Israeli far-right minister Bezalel Smotrich unveiled plans for the controversial E1 settlement, an open tract of land east of Jerusalem.

E1 has been eyed for Israeli development for more than two decades, but plans were halted due to pressure from the US during previous administrations.

Settlements are illegal under international law and have been condemned by the UN. They are, however, authorised by the Israeli government.

For context: Violence in the West Bank - which was already on the rise before the war in Gaza - has escalated with frequent army raids on militant groups, rampages by Jewish settlers in Palestinian villages, and deadly Palestinian street attacks. 

Hamas is not in charge in the West Bank and no hostages are being held there. 

There are regular clashes and riots in the West Bank - often aggravated by Israeli settlers both threatening and inflicting violence on Palestinians if they do not give up their land - which has been condemned by even the strongest international supporters of Israel, like the US. 

Israel conducts regular raids in the West Bank to arrest or demolish homes of people it deems terrorists. 

As we reported earlier this morning, the UK will use the UN General Assembly this week to push for a peace plan (see 7.04).

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper will seek to strengthen the "international consensus on our pathway for peace in the Middle East".

Benjamin Netanyahu suggested the UK's recognition of a Palestinian state damages peace hopes but Cooper warned Israel not to respond by expanding settlements in the West Bank.

"We have been clear, and I have been clear to the Israeli foreign minister, we have been clear to the Israeli government, that they must not do that," she told the BBC.

"We have been clear that this decision that we are taking is about the best way to respect the security for Israel as well as the security for Palestinians.

"It's about protecting peace and justice and crucially security for the Middle East and we will continue to work with everyone across the region in order to be able to do that."

Does the UK really have any sway over anything the Israeli government does?

Our presenter Matt Barbet put this to the minister for the Middle East, Hamish Falconer.

"We have not acted alone," he responds.

But Israel has still "changed nothing", Barbet says, and he also pushed Falconer on whether the UK had done enough to recognise the suffering of Israeli hostages.

The minister responded by saying there was "no agony greater than the terrible hellish rollercoaster" the families of the hostages have been on.

He also defended the UK still providing some military equipment to Israel, saying it gave "no bombs, no bullets" that can be used in Gaza.

Instead, it does give components for Israel's Iron Dome air defence system to protect civilians, and body armour for members of NGOs, he said. 

Watch the clip below to see Falconer explain why the government will "continue" its demands on Israel...