On Monday, September 22, 2025, a striking scene unfolded in central London: the Palestinian flag, with its bold colors of black, white, green, and red, was raised for the first time over the building that now serves as the official Embassy of Palestine in the United Kingdom. This symbolic act, witnessed by diplomats, activists, and members of the public, marked the UK’s formal recognition of the State of Palestine—a move hailed by many as historic, overdue, and deeply consequential.
The ceremony, held outside what had been the Palestinian Mission in Hammersmith, was solemn yet charged with emotion. Palestinian Ambassador to the UK Husam Zomlot addressed the crowd, his words resonating with decades of longing and struggle. “We are in front of the Palestinian mission to the UK here in London to mark a historic moment in the same capital of the Balfour Declaration. After more than a century of ongoing denial, disposition, and erasure, the UK government has finally taken the long-overdue step of recognizing the state of Palestine,” he declared, according to Anadolu Agency.
Zomlot was keen to emphasize that this recognition was not just a matter of diplomatic formality, but a gesture steeped in justice and humanity. “It is about righting historic wrongs and committing together to a future based on freedom, dignity and fundamental human rights,” he said, as reported by Aljazeera. Yet, he was also painfully clear-eyed about the present reality: “This recognition comes at a time of unimaginable pain and suffering as a genocide is being waged against us—a genocide that is still being denied and allowed to continue with impunity.”
He painted a sobering picture of life for Palestinians, especially in Gaza and the West Bank. “It comes as our people in Gaza are being starved, bombed, and buried under the rubble of their homes; as our people in the West Bank are being ethnically cleansed, brutalised by daily state-sponsored terrorism, land theft and suffocating oppression,” Zomlot said. He lamented that, even now, “the humanity of Palestinian people is still questioned, our lives still treated as disposable and our basic freedoms still denied.”
For Zomlot, the recognition was a “defiant act of truth, a refusal to let genocide be the final word; a refusal to accept that occupation is permanent; a refusal to be erased and a refusal to be dehumanised.” He reminded the audience that the struggle for Palestinian rights has always been more than survival: “We are preparing to thrive as farmers, as teachers, as builders, and as healers. To understand our culture, my friend, to understand our heritage, you need not look further than our love of education, the key to a bright and promising future.”
The ambassador also extended heartfelt thanks to the British public, whose persistent advocacy he credited with making the day possible. “To the people of Britain, to the great people of Britain, the millions who have been marching in the streets week after week, month after month, who turned London into the epicenter of the global movement for Palestine... we thank you. We will always remember how you stood by our side on the right side of history.”
Recognition, however, is not the end of the road. Zomlot urged the UK to go further, calling for an arms embargo on Israel and concrete measures to protect Palestinian lives and rights. His plea echoed the demands of rights groups such as CAGE International, which described the UK’s move as a “belated symbolic declaration” and insisted that genuine progress requires ending Israel’s occupation and dismantling its system of apartheid. Amnesty International, for its part, called the recognition “no doubt significant” but warned that “words alone won’t stop the atrocities,” urging the UK to halt arms exports to Israel and sanction officials implicated in war crimes.
British Minister for the Middle East and North Africa, Hamish Falconer, acknowledged both the significance and the limitations of the move. “This is a landmark decision. It reflects the UK's enduring support for the Palestinian people's right to self-determination… It sends a clear message that lasting peace and security for Palestinians and Israelis depends on a two-state solution as Palestinian statehood,” Falconer said. He was frank about the obstacles: “Despite the strongest demands of the UK and many others, the Israeli government has plunged deeper into a war that has claimed tens of thousands of lives and pushed Gaza into famine. This conflict can never be solved by force.”
Falconer condemned the blockade of humanitarian aid as “indefensible,” and stressed that recognition was not an abandonment of the UK’s support for Israel. “Palestinian statehood can open new relationships, regional cooperation, normalization, and peaceful coexistence that is impossible, though, while the horrors in Gaza continue, and while even the idea of a Palestinian state is rejected by the Israeli government.” He called for urgent steps: “We need a ceasefire now. We need hostages released. We need Hamas to be disarmed. We need the barriers lifted so aid can reach those in desperate need. And we need a path to long-term peace.”
The day’s significance was not lost on Turkey’s Ambassador to London, Osman Koray Ertas, who called it “one of the most important days of my diplomatic career.” He noted that Turkish diplomacy, alongside the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and other regional efforts, had long worked toward this outcome. “Although delayed, it was an important decision for the Palestinian cause,” Ertas said.
The UK’s recognition comes amid a surge of similar moves by other Western countries. On the very same day, France confirmed its recognition of Palestine, lighting the Eiffel Tower with the flags of Palestine and Israel in a show of support for a two-state solution. French President Emmanuel Macron stressed, “Every life in Gaza is equal,” and criticized Israel’s strategy after the killing of several Hamas leaders. Meanwhile, the Israeli military claimed to have killed Iyad Abu Yousuf, deputy head of Hamas’ naval police, in an airstrike on Gaza, alleging his involvement in the October 7, 2023, attacks. According to medical sources cited by Aljazeera, at least 29 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes across Gaza that day, including 25 in Gaza City.
Yet, as the Palestinian flag fluttered over its new embassy in London, opinions diverged about what this recognition would truly mean. Some, like independent British MP Shockat Adam, described it as a “monumental moment” and a “very emotional day,” even if, as he put it, “those are small changes, and they don’t mean anything significant on the ground at this moment in time.” Others, including residents in Gaza, saw it as a “ray of hope,” but stressed the urgent need for the international community to move beyond declarations and take real action to stop the bloodshed and guarantee Palestinian self-determination.
As world leaders prepare to gather at the United Nations in New York, with Palestinian sovereignty and the two-state solution high on the agenda, the events in London serve as a powerful reminder: gestures matter, but for Palestinians, the struggle for justice, dignity, and peace is far from over.