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In a historic moment but highly polarized, the Palestinian mission in London raised its flag on Monday after British’s decision to officially recognize the state of Palestine – a step that had attracted a sharp reprimand from Israel and hinted at a shift in the western diplomatic posture in the middle of the war in Gaza.
The ceremony, which was held outside the Palestinian mission at Hammersmith, came only one day after Britain joined Australia, Canada and Portugal in announcing their recognition of Palestinian states. France and other countries are expected to follow during the opening of the Annual UN General Assembly in New York.
Head of Mission Husam Zomlot, spoke to the people who gathered for the opportunity, praising a long -time diplomatic change.
“This is a recognition of historical injustice,” Zomlot said, referring to the decades of citizenship and conflict experienced by Palestinians. “At the time of unimaginable suffering for the Palestinian people, this recognition means more than just diplomacy – it is a moral attitude.”
The flag was raised with a placard that read “Embassy of the Palestinian State,” which Zomlot said will soon be officially installed.
“We will immediately install this, while waiting for some legal work, some bureaucratic work,” he added, indicating the beginning of formal improvement in diplomatic status.
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Zomlot also clearly refers to the involvement of the British colonial era in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, saying British recognition brought special significance given its role in the 1917 Balfour Declaration, which opened the way for the establishment of Israel in 1948.
Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper confirmed British recognition would allow Palestinian authority to build full diplomatic representatives in London.
“Palestinian authority can now establish embassies and ambassadors in the UK,” Cooper told the BBC. “We will set diplomatic steps with the Palestinian authority, there will be a series of various stages and processes that must be passed,” he explained. “On the practical side, the most important thing is part of the process to make everyone work towards the two -country solution.”
It is pressed whether the British consulate in East Jerusalem will become a full embassy, Cooper offers a more careful response: “There is already longer than the state of Israel, so that it will continue for now, and we will set diplomatic processes with Palestinian authority.”
After the announcement, the British foreign office also secretly renewed its travel guidelines, removing the term “occupied Palestinian territory” and replacing it with “Palestine” – symbolic linguistic changes but significant in official policy.
Israel reacts with predicted anger. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slammed the wave of recognition as “unreasonable,” the warning will “endanger” Israel’s existence. In a step that was seen as a retaliation, he also promised to accelerate the expansion of illegal settlements in the western bank occupied.
Development was revealed with a destructive war background in Gaza, triggered by October 7 Hamas 2023, an attack on South Israel, which killed 1,219 people – most of the civilians, according to AFP calculations based on official Israeli figures.
Israeli retaliation attacks have killed at least 65,208 people in Gaza, as well as most civilians, according to the Ministry of Health managed by Hamas. Apart from the source, these numbers are considered credible by the United Nations.
When international support for Palestinian states collects momentum, the raising of the flag on Monday marks more than just a diplomatic movement and that underlines the developing gap between Israel and parts of the global community during the future of the region.
