New york: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that his country will recognize Palestine as a state by the UN meeting in September, unless Israel agrees to a ceasefire. Starmer said, "The airdrop of aid began today," adding that "the right time to recognize Palestine is now because it will have the greatest impact."

According to National Iraqi News Agency, Starmer's statements came after the launch of the "International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Palestinian Issue and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution," co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France, at the UN General Assembly in New York. The conference aims to propose a timetable for establishing a sovereign Palestinian state and ending the occupation of its land on the basis of a just and lasting solution in accordance with the Arab Peace Initiative and relevant UN resolutions.

The conference will also focus, during its days, on practical measures to urgently support a peaceful settlement, and lay the foundations for a just and permanent solution to the Palestinian issue that will stop the ongoing cycle of violence in the region, contribute to the stability of its regional security, end the suffering of the Palestinian people, and restore their legitimate rights to the establishment of their independent Palestinian state.