By Ben Riley-Smith

Copyright yahoo

Donald Trump said he disagreed with Sir Keir Starmer’s decision to formally recognise a Palestinian state in the coming days.

The US president said he had a “disagreement with the Prime Minister on that score, one of our few disagreements actually” when asked about Sir Keir’s intention to recognise Palestine.

However, he did not repeat his past remarks that the UK was “rewarding Hamas” for its Oct 7 2023 attack on Israel.

Mr Trump made the remarks during a press conference at Chequers, the Prime Minister’s country home, on the second full day of his UK state visit.

In July, Sir Keir announced his plan to recognise Palestinian statehood following mounting criticism of the Israeli government’s approach to the Gaza conflict.

Formal recognition will take place at the United Nations General Assembly in New York this month, unless Israel meets certain conditions, including agreeing to a ceasefire, a two-state solution and halting annexations in the West Bank.

However, British recognition of Palestine is all but guaranteed as Israel has already said it is opposed to Sir Keir’s conditions.

America under Mr Trump remains staunchly opposed to the idea of recognising a Palestinian state, and has also refused to grant visas to Palestinian officials for the UN gathering.

The Prime Minister was challenged by a Fox News reporter during the press conference about whether he was rewarding Hamas and waiting until Mr Trump left the UK to formalise the step.

Sir Keir responded: “Well, let me be really clear about Hamas. [They] are a terrorist organisation who can have no part in any future governance with Palestine.

“What happened on October 7 was the worst attack since the Holocaust. We have extended family in Israel. I understand first-hand the psychological impact that had across Israel.

“So I know exactly where I stand in relation to Hamas. Hamas, of course, don’t want a two-state solution, they don’t want peace, they don’t want a ceasefire. I’m very clear where I stand on Hamas.

“On the question of recognition, I made my position clear at the end of July, so the timing has got nothing to do with this state visit.

“I’ve discussed it with the president, as you would expect, amongst two leaders who respect each other and like each other and want to bring about a better solution in the best way we can.”

Hamas ‘putting hostages up as bait’

Mr Trump only talked briefly about recognition for Palestine. Instead, much of his focus in answers on Palestine and Gaza was about calling for Hamas to immediately release all Israeli hostages.

He also accused Hamas of “putting the hostages up as bait” and described this as “pretty brutal”.

When challenged on not doing more to press Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, to end the fighting, Mr Trump said many people had too quickly forgotten the horrors of Oct 7.

Mr Trump notably did not repeat his harsher comments on the UK’s recognition of Palestine that he gave after his Scottish holiday in July, when Sir Keir first announced the news.

The President said then: “You’re rewarding Hamas if you do that. I don’t think they should be rewarded.”

Sir Sadiq Khan on Thursday broke ranks with Sir Keir to accuse Israel of genocide.

The Labour Mayor of London claimed it was “inescapable” that a genocide was taking place in Gaza, going further than his party’s position.

Labour critics of Sir Sadiq accused him of making “inflammatory” remarks and questioned his wider response to the conflict.

At an event in London on Wednesday, the Mayor said: “I think what’s happening in Gaza is a genocide.

“When I see the images of the children starving – 20,000 children have starved because of the policies of the Israeli government – when I see the health system in Gaza collapsed, when I see the lack of supplies reaching people in need, when I see the famine that is man-made, when I read the interim judgment of the ICJ [International Court of Justice] and then see a UN commission report this week, I think it’s inescapable to draw the conclusion in Gaza we are seeing before our very eyes, a genocide.”

Meanwhile, Lucy Powell hailed the Palestinian “ambassador” to the UK ahead of Britain’s recognition of the state.

The frontrunner in Labour’s deputy leadership race attended a celebration in the Commons ahead of the diplomatic move, tweeting a photograph of her meeting Husam Zomlot, head of the Palestinian mission to the UK.

“Good to join so many colleagues with Ambassador of Palestine Dr Zomlot to commemorate the recognition of Palestine, something I’ve long supported,” she wrote.

“Great to see so much support of Labour Friends of Palestine and the Middle East at this important moment.”

At present, Britain considers Gaza and the West Bank as Israeli-occupied territory, but not as a Palestinian state in its own right.

This means the countries have missions rather than embassies in each other’s territory. Until recognition, Dr Zomlot is technically head of mission and not ambassador.