The rock has been hurled into the lake and now the ripples are spreading.

The UK and several other Western countries recognising a Palestinian state was never likely to be an action without consequences.

So what happens next? Well, firstly, a surge of angry rhetoric from across the Israeli political spectrum, almost all of whom described this as a victory for Hamas.

Gaza latest: Countries boycott French two-state solution summit

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it “an absurd prize for terrorism” while Yair Lapid, leader of the opposition, described recognition as “a bad move and a reward for terror”.

Former defence minister Benny Gantz said it “emboldens Hamas and extends the war”, and Naftali Bennett, the man who may well usurp Netanyahu as prime minister next year, said recognition could lead to a “full-blown terror state”.

The forum that represents the families of hostages called it “a catastrophic failure”.

‘Annexation’ is incredibly complicated

So that’s unity in condemnation. But words are one thing; actions are another. And the more extreme ministers in Netanyahu’s cabinet, who carry great weight, are coalescing around a single rallying cry – the demand is annexation of the West Bank.

It sounds blunt, but it is incredibly complicated. For one thing, simply defining what is meant by “annexation” is near-on impossible.

The West Bank, which a growing number of Israelis refer to by its biblical name of Judea and Samaria, has been subject to Israeli military occupation since 1967.

In a sense, it is already partly annexed – the West Bank is dotted with settlements and outposts that are home to hundreds of thousands of Israelis. So annexation could mean supporting and expanding those developments.

Read more:
What recognising a Palestinian state actually means
Why UK’s Palestine move matters in the Middle East

Or annexation could mean sending in more soldiers, more equipment and taking more land, potentially in the Jordan valley.

It could mean pumping resources into the controversial and internationally criticised E1 settlement programme, which would divide the West Bank in half.

Follow The World

Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday

Tap to follow

But it could even mean the very thing that you probably think of when you hear the word “annexation”. It could mean Israel flooding the area with soldiers and claiming the land for itself – an invasion, in other words.

It might sound appealing to the likes of Israeli far-right politicians Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir. At the same time, it would infuriate Arab nations, who are already seething that Israel chose to launch an airstrike on a building in Qatar to try, seemingly unsuccessfully, to kill Hamas leaders.

A loyalty test for the US

Full annexation would test the loyalty of the United States, which has, so far, supported Netanyahu through thick and thin. The attack on Doha has already prompted a mild rebuke; Israel’s government will not want to risk losing the backing of its most important diplomatic ally.

President Trump is due to meet Arab leaders on Tuesday, who will tell him of their fears for the future of the West Bank.

This will not be easy for Netanyahu. He has to balance the need to retain Trump’s friendship and support with a desire to dissuade other nations from recognising the State of Palestine, along with the need to keep Arab neighbours from turning against him while keeping Smotrich and Ben-Gvir in his cabinet.

So Netanyahu is going to bide his time. He will not make a decision on next steps until he has returned from visiting both the United Nations and the White House.

The immediate future of the West Bank might well be decided on a flight back from America.

A British-Egyptian activist who has spent years in prison has been pardoned by Egypt’s president, according to his lawyer.

Alaa Abd el-Fattah became a prominent campaigner during protests in Cairo in 2011 that led to the ousting of former president Hosni Mubarak.

In 2014, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison – later reduced to five – for protesting without permission.

He was released in 2019 but arrested again for sharing a Facebook post about human rights abuses in Egyptian prisons.

It led to another five-year term in 2021 for “spreading fake news”.

High-profile local and international campaigns have called for his release and Egypt removed him from its “terrorism” list last year.

Mr Fattah has British citizenship through his UK-born mother, Laila Soueif, who went on hunger strike over his case and met Sir Keir Starmer to push for her son’s freedom.

The 43-year-old also undertook multiple hunger strikes of his own to highlight his case.

Today his lawyer, Khaled Ali, writing in Arabic on Facebook, posted: “God is the judge. The President of the Republic has issued a decree pardoning Alaa Abdel Fattah. Congratulations.”

His sister said on X that she and her mother were “heading to the prison now to inquire from where Alaa will be released and when”.

“Omg I can’t believe we get our lives back!” she added.

The Egyptian president’s office said another five prisoners were also pardoned – but it’s unclear exactly when they will all be freed.

Mr Ali said he expected his client to be released from Wadi Natron prison, north of Cairo, in the next few days.

Mr Fattah became known for his blogging and social media activity during the Arab Spring protests in Cairo’s Tahrir Square 14 years ago.

But a wide-ranging crackdown on Islamists, liberals and leftists by the new president, former army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, led to the activist being imprisoned for the first time.

During his second spell in jail, his family said he was locked up without sunlight, exercise and books – and abused by the guards.

Mr Fattah’s mother – a former maths professor – and lawyer father, who died in 2014, were also both activists.

Khaled Ali tried to get Mr Fattah freed in 2024, arguing his client’s two years of pre-trial detention should be counted, but prosecutors resisted and said he wouldn’t be allowed out until January 2027.

The refusal prompted his mother to begin another long hunger strike in September last year.

She only ended it two months ago following pleas from her family after she lost 35kg and became seriously ill.

Read more from Sky News:
The exiles with £100k bounties on their heads
Horner leaves Red Bull as ‘£75m payout’ agreed

Human rights groups say tens of thousands of prisoners of conscience have been incarcerated under the current president.

They allege they are denied due process and suffer abuse and torture – claims denied by Egyptian officials.

Chair of the foreign affairs select committee, the MP Emily Thornberry, said on X that she was “absolutely delighted” about Mr Fattah’s pardon.

She posted: “Laila, Mona, Sanaa and Alaa’s entire family’s tireless campaign for his release has been incredibly moving – their love for him was clear when I met Sanaa last year,

“I am so glad they will get to see him come home.”

The UK is planning to recognise Palestine as a state in a major shift in policy.

The announcement – expected today – comes ahead of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in New York next week.

While Sir Keir Starmer signalled the move in July, it was not made official before Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK, reportedly due to fears it could have dominated the meeting with the US president.

Here is what you need to know about the significance of recognising a Palestinian state.

What is the current status of Palestinian statehood?

The Palestinian Authority (PA), led by President Mahmoud Abbas, is internationally recognised as representing the Palestinian people.

The governing body exercises limited self-rule in parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank under agreements with Israel. It issues Palestinian passports and runs the Palestinian health and education systems.

However, some trade, investment, educational and cultural exchanges are restricted by Israel and there are currently no Palestinian airports.

The landlocked West Bank can only be reached through Israel or through the Israeli-controlled border with Jordan. Israel also controls all access to the Gaza Strip.

Much of what would form a potential Palestinian state has been under Israeli military occupation for more than half a century.

Under the Montevideo Convention of 1933, there are several criteria before Palestine can be recognised as a sovereign state under international law.

The process requires the state to have:
• A permanent population;
• A defined territory;
• An effective government and international relations;
• Formal diplomatic processes including embassies, ambassadors and treaties.

The UK did not sign the 1933 convention, but in July some of Britain’s top lawyers wrote a letter to the government’s top legal adviser warning that recognising a Palestinian state could breach the convention, which they said has become part of “customary law”.

But others, including Philippe Sands KC, a professor of law at University College London, argued against this. He told The Guardian that the UN’s top court, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), has recognised that Palestinians have a right to “self-determination” – meaning a country determines its own statehood and forms its own government.

Is the move just symbolic?

The likes of China, India, Russia and many Arab states have recognised Palestinian independence for decades, but largely see it as a symbolic gesture, which has little influence on what happens on the ground.

However, in the UK’s case, recognising a Palestinian state could put the two on “equal footing” according to the Palestinian ambassador to the United Kingdom, Husam Zomlot.

This could result in strategic partnerships or lead to steps such as banning products that come from Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories, Vincent Fean, a former British consul general to Jerusalem, told Reuters.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who was the first leader of a G7 country to endorse recognition, said the recognition would also come with a commitment that the PA would enact reforms, which, he says, would put it in a better position to govern a post-war Gaza.

Why is the UK acting now?

Sir Keir Starmer said in July that the time to recognise Palestine is now, as it would have the highest impact given the hope of a two-state solution – a “secure” Israel alongside a “viable” Palestinian state – was at risk.

He said it was part of an “eight-part plan” agreed with France and Germany, but denied it represented a U-turn after pressure from Labour MPs, saying instead it was always part of the plan to recognise Palestine.

Pressure has also been mounting on Sir Keir after Israel began a major ground offensive to take Gaza City on 16 September.

Despite widespread condemnation, Israeli tanks and troops have continued to push deeper into the city in a bid to destroy Hamas and force the release of the remaining Israeli hostages.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper called the operation “utterly reckless and appalling”.

The UK’s official declaration comes days before the annual gathering of world leaders at the UN General Assembly, where Gaza will be a major topic of discussion.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to talk at the assembly, but Mr Abbas has not been granted a US visa. It is likely he will instead appear via video.

What countries do (and do not) recognise Palestine?

As of September 2025, 147 out of 193 United Nations member states recognise Palestine. This includes more than a dozen in Europe, including Spain, Ireland and Norway.

Click, zoom in or search for a country to see their stance on recognising a Palestinian state:

Recognition from countries vs the United Nations

Without a full seat at the UN, the PA only has limited ability to conduct bilateral relations. This means a delegation officially representing the State of Palestine has permanent observer status but no voting rights.

No matter how many individual countries recognise Palestinian independence, full UN membership requires the approval of the Security Council.

Approval requires at least nine votes in favour and no vetoes by the permanent ‘big five’ member states: UK, US, France, Russia and China.

If the Council approves the request, it goes to the General Assembly for approval, where a two-thirds majority is needed.

A state can’t join the UN without the backing of both the Security Council and the General Assembly.

In 2011, the Security Council looked at an application for Palestine to become a permanent member for several weeks but it was unable to reach a unanimous position, so a formal vote never took place.

Most recently, on 18 September, the US vetoed a Security Council resolution that had demanded an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all hostages, saying the effort did not go far enough in condemning Hamas.

How have Palestinians and the Israelis responded?

When the UK, France and Canada announced in July they were planning to recognise Palestine as a state, the PA’s leader Mr Abbas expressed “thanks and appreciation” to all three countries.

Mr Netanyahu condemned the move, saying recognising a Palestinian state would be a “launch pad to annihilate Israel – not to live in peace beside it”.

He says Israel will never give up ultimate security control of Gaza or the West Bank, and the decision to recognise Palestine as a state “constitutes a reward for Hamas and harms efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and a framework for the release of hostages”.

What about America?

The US, Israel’s closest ally, also remains opposed to official recognition of a Palestinian state.

During a press conference with Sir Keir in the UK on 18 September, Mr Trump told reporters he has a “disagreement” with his British counterpart over it.

In reaction to European allies recognising Palestinian independence, the US has imposed sanctions on Palestinian officials.

Within the US Senate, however, a group of Democratic senators have introduced a resolution to try and urge recognition of a Palestinian state – showing some divide in America’s two main political parties.

However, the resolution is unlikely to pass the chamber, where Republicans have a 53-47 majority.

How does this all link to a two-state solution?

Simply put, a two-state solution is widely regarded as the most viable framework for enabling Palestinian independence.

It would see an independent Palestinian state established alongside the existing state of Israel – giving both peoples their own territory.

Earlier in September, the UN General Assembly voted overwhelmingly – 142 votes in favour – to endorse a declaration outlining the “tangible, time bound, and irreversible steps” towards a two-state solution.

The declaration condemns the October 7 attacks by Hamas and the retaliatory action by Israel against civilians and infrastructure in Gaza. Israel and the US were among 10 member states that voted against the resolution.

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

Mr Netanyahu and most of Israel’s political class have long been opposed to Palestinian statehood, and argue that it would reward militants after October 7.

Follow The World

Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday

Tap to follow

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 600,000 Israelis now living there and in occupied East Jerusalem.