LONDON (Dispatches) -- The UK is conditioning its recognition of Palestine as a state on an “overhaul” of the Palestinian education system and an end to the Palestinian Authority’s stipends to the families of prisoners, The Telegraph reported. 
According to sources who spoke with the British outlet, London and Paris are drafting a series of “financial and political” demands from the Palestinian Authority.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is insisting on an end to what Israel calls the “pay to slay” policy, the report said. 
PA President Mahmoud Abbas is also “under pressure to drive through reforms to the Palestinian school curriculum in an effort to placate Israeli concerns over anti-Semitism.”
The third demand is reportedly political reforms and elections, as well as ensuring Hamas does not have a role in the future of Palestinian politics. 
France and Belgium announced their recognition of Palestine at the ongoing UN General Assembly session in New York this week, a day after the UK said it formally recognized a Palestinian state. 
Starmer is said to be coordinating with France to push for what Western officials describe as “tangible, verifiable, measurable commitments” before recognition is fully implemented.  
While the move has been described by some as a step toward peace, rights groups and analysts say the recognition is largely symbolic and fails to address the UK’s enduring support for Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and broader occupation policies.
Since the start of Israel’s full-scale war on Gaza, which has killed over 65,400 Palestinians and displaced nearly 2 million, the UK has continued arms exports to Israel. Only 30 of 250 active arms licenses have been suspended. British-made components are used in F-35 fighter jets and surveillance technology deployed in both Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
Critics also point to Britain’s historical role in the war. The 1917 Balfour Declaration, issued without consulting the Palestinian majority, laid the groundwork for Zionist settlement under British mandate rule. Policies during that period facilitated large-scale land transfers and paramilitary buildup, contributing to the 1948 Nakba, in which more than 750,000 Palestinians were displaced.
Today, over five million Palestinian refugees remain stateless, while Israel—backed by military and diplomatic support from allies including the UK—continues to expand settlements and occupy Palestinian land.
Though over 140 countries now recognize Palestinian statehood, analysts warn that the UK’s move, without halting arms sales or supporting international legal accountability, does little to alter realities on the ground.