After London signals support for Palestinian statehood, Trump warns premature recognition will “reward terror, not peace.”
Donald Trump drew a sharp line with Britain on Monday, rejecting Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s call for recognition of a Palestinian state, even as both leaders pledged to work toward a roadmap for peace in Gaza.
“We absolutely agree on the need for peace and a road map, because the situation in Gaza is intolerable,” Starmer told reporters after bilateral talks in Washington. But when pressed on the UK’s move to recognize Palestine, Trump cut him off with a blunt rebuke: “I have a disagreement with the Prime Minister on that score, one of our few disagreements, actually.”
The exchange underscored a growing divide between the White House and some European capitals, where momentum has been building behind symbolic recognition of Palestine as a state — a step critics say undermines negotiations and hands Hamas and its backers a diplomatic victory.
Trump has long insisted that any Palestinian state must be the product of a negotiated settlement with Israel, not a unilateral declaration.
His allies argue that premature recognition only emboldens militants, weakens Israel’s security, and pushes peace further out of reach.
The meeting between Trump and Starmer, which also included business leaders, touched on tariffs, the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, and future U.S.-UK economic ties. But it was the Palestine question that cast the biggest shadow, highlighting a policy rift between two allies who otherwise stressed unity.
For Trump, the issue is about leverage. He wants Palestinian leaders — and their regional backers — to return to the table under conditions set by Washington and Jerusalem. For Starmer, recognition is framed as a necessary political step to keep the two-state solution alive.
What both leaders agree on: the war in Gaza has become “intolerable,” and the Middle East is entering a dangerous new chapter. But for now, Trump has made one thing clear — Britain may chart its own course, but the U.S. will not endorse a Palestinian state until Israel does.
