US President Donald Trump has backed Israel amid the debate of recognising a Palestinian state and said that he and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer didn’t discuss it as London proceeded, along with France and Canada, to recognise Palestine as Gaza inches towards starvation.
While aboard Air Force One on his return to Washington, Trump was asked about the UK’s decision to grant recognition to Palestinian state to which the US president criticised and said it is like “rewarding Hamas”. But the Republican leader clarified that he didn’t discuss the plan with Starmer when they met in Scotland last week.
“We never did discuss it,” Trump said in reference to Starmer’s announcement. Trump said recognizing a Palestinian state would in turn reward Palestinian militant group Hamas.
My statement on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and our plan for peace including the recognition of a Palestinian State. pic.twitter.com/aMUCNwJb9z
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) July 29, 2025
“You’re rewarding Hamas if you do that. I don’t think they should be rewarded,” the US president said. Trump said the US was “not in that camp”, referring to Starmer’s pledge to support a Palestinian state, which was followed by France President Emmanuel Macron and Canada Prime Minister Mark Carney.
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Trump’s stance was in line with the Department of State, whose spokesperson Tammy Bruce has called the Palestinian recognition “a slap in the face” to victims of Hamas’s deadly October 2023 attack on Israel which triggered a war between Israel and Gaza based Hamas.
UK PM Starmer has said that London would give Palestine a recognition of state by September unless Israel meets certain conditions, including agreeing to a ceasefire deal in Gaza and allowing United Nations food aid to enter amid reports of starvation in the country.
When Trump was asked if he objects to the move by Starmer, the US president said “I’m not going to take a position, I don’t mind him taking a position.” Malta has also followed the footsteps of UK, France and Canada and announced its support to recognise a Palestinian state.
