British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Tuesday that the UK would recognize a Palestinian state in September unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end the war and humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, and meets several other conditions, including recommitting to a viable peace process.

The decision, which was relayed by Starmer to his cabinet and then to the public by way of a statement at 10 Downing Street, was swiftly condemned by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who declared the move “rewards Hamas’s monstrous terrorism.”

The announcement marked a major diplomatic challenge for Israel, coming days after France said it would recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September.

Starmer said that Israel could forestall the measure by reaching a ceasefire in Gaza and ending the “appalling situation” there, making clear that it will not annex the West Bank, and committing to a peace process that results in a two-state solution.

“The Palestinian people have endured terrible suffering,” Starmer told reporters. “Now, in Gaza, because of a catastrophic failure of aid, we see starving babies, children too weak to stand, images that will stay with us for a lifetime. The suffering must end.”

An unnamed source told Reuters that Starmer spoke with Netanyahu before the announcement. Starmer also spoke to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas before going public, the PA’s official Wafa news agency reported.

Abbas praised Starmer and called on the UK to “officially recognize the State of Palestine immediately.”

French President Emmanuel Macron, who did not offer Israel a way to avoid the unilateral declaration of Palestinian statehood, had been pushing Starmer to follow his lead, as were a growing number of lawmakers in Britain’s ruling Labour Party, seeing it as a way to pressure Israel amid growing concern of starvation in Gaza.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Tuesday evening hailed the British announcement, writing on social media: “Together, through this momentous decision and our joint efforts, we are ending the infinite cycle of violence and re-opening the prospect of peace in the region.”

Britain, if it acts, would be the second Western power on the UN Security Council to recognize a Palestinian state after France, and would be the closest of Israel’s allies to do so. The decision may lead more Western countries to make the move as well, with Malta declaring later Tuesday that it too will recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September.

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© The Times of Israel