British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Tuesday that the U.K. would recognize a Palestinian state in September — unless Israel takes steps to end the starvation of Gaza and agree to a ceasefire with Hamas.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer: “So, today, as part of this process towards peace, I can confirm the U.K. will recognize the state of Palestine by the United Nations General Assembly in September, unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza, agree to a ceasefire and commit to a long-term, sustainable peace, reviving the prospect of a two-state solution.”

Some British activists and politicians criticized Starmer’s announcement as performative and disingenuous. A member of the Scottish Parliament, Ross Greer, wrote on social media, “Starmer wouldn’t threaten to withdraw UK recognition of Israel, but he’s made recognition of Palestinian statehood conditional on the actions of their genocidal oppressor?”

Separately, Malta announced Tuesday that it will also recognize a Palestinian state in September. One hundred forty-seven of the United Nations’ 193 member states currently recognize the state of Palestine.

Meanwhile, the Netherlands has banned two key figures in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition: the far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. The European Union also proposed suspending Israel from a tech investment program in response to the starvation of Gaza.