Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on July 29, 2025
1 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Trump denies discussing UK's Palestinian state recognition plan with Starmer, warning against rewarding Hamas. Starmer suggests UK readiness for recognition at the UN.
(Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer did not discuss London's plan to recognise a Palestinian state unless Israel takes a number of steps to improve life for Palestinians.
Starmer said on Tuesday that Britain was prepared to recognise a Palestinian state in September at the United Nations General Assembly in response to growing public anger over the images of starving children in Gaza.
"We never did discuss it," Trump told reporters on board Air Force One while traveling back to the U.S. after meeting Starmer in Scotland.
Trump said recognizing a Palestinian state would reward Palestinian militant group Hamas.
"You're rewarding Hamas if you do that. I don't think they should be rewarded," he said.
Trump said the U.S. had sent money for food aid for Palestinians in Gaza, and that he wanted to make sure it's properly spent.
"I want to make sure the money is spent wisely and is spent judiciously, and that food is distributed in a proper manner," he said.
(Reporting by Ryan Patrick Jones in Toronto. Editing by Bhargav Acharya and Mark Potter)
No, Trump stated that he and Prime Minister Starmer did not discuss the UK's plan to recognize a Palestinian state.
Trump believes that recognizing a Palestinian state would reward the militant group Hamas, which he opposes.
Trump mentioned that the U.S. has sent money for food aid to Palestinians in Gaza and emphasized the need for proper distribution.
The UK is prepared to recognize a Palestinian state in response to growing public anger over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Starmer indicated that Britain was ready to recognize a Palestinian state during the upcoming United Nations General Assembly.
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