Britain could officially recognize a Palestinian state after a ceasefire in Gaza without waiting for the outcome of negotiations, which could last years, between Israel and the Palestinians on a two-state solution.
The British Foreign Minister, David Cameron, said this in an interview with the Associated Press reported on the US agency's website.
Cameron specified that no recognition could come as long as Hamas remains in power in Gaza, but that it could happen while Israeli negotiations with Palestinian leaders are underway.
"What we need to do is give the Palestinian people a horizon towards a better future, the future of having their own state," Cameron added.
This perspective is "absolutely vital to the long-term peace and security of the region", he later explained.
The AP recalls that Britain, the United States and other Western countries support the idea of an independent Palestine alongside Israel as a solution to the conflict in the region, but say that Palestinian independence should come as part of a negotiated solution.
There have been no substantive negotiations since 2009.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for his part, has publicly rejected the creation of an independent Palestinian state after the war.
Recognition of a Palestinian state by its Western allies could isolate Israel and put pressure on it to come to the table.
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