London hoists Palestinian flag as UK upgrades mission —Jerusalem pushes back

A Palestinian flag was raised outside the Palestinian mission in west London during a brief ceremony, as the UK moves to re-designate the site as Palestine’s embassy following its recognition of “the State of Palestine.”

Live feeds showed the flag-raising outside the building and crowds gathered on the street.

The move comes a day after Britain—along with Australia, Canada and Portugal—announced formal recognition of Palestinian statehood, timed around diplomatic activity in London and ahead of UN meetings.

UK outlets said the upgrade includes elevating the mission’s status in London.

Israel condemned the shift. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Britain’s recognition “an absurd prize for terrorism.”

He stressed that it rewards Hamas rather than promoting peace; London maintains Hamas remains sanctioned and excluded from any future Palestinian government. (Hamas has been a fully proscribed terrorist organization in the UK since 2021.)