HUNDREDS of activists held a “pots and pans” protest outside the emergency Cabinet meeting in Downing Street yesterday as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced that Britain would recognise a Palestinian state, unless Israel meets certain conditions.

The PM made the announcement following the emergency meeting with senior ministers, stating that the recognition would be made in September ahead of the United Nations general assembly. Sir Keir said yesterday that Britain’s goal remained for a “safe and secure” Israel alongside a “viable and sovereign” Palestinian state.

However, Sir Keir said that this would happen “unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza, reaches a ceasefire, makes clear there will be no annexation in the West Bank, and commits to a long-term peace process that delivers a two-state solution.”

He committed to a final decision in September, depending on the progress made by Israel, as well as steps made by Hamas in releasing all hostages and disarming.

Outside the meeting, protesters with Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) could be heard banging pots and pans, symbolising the famine that Israel “is using to kill Palestinians” as worldwide outrage over the hunger crisis continued to grow.

Despite Sir Keir stating that Britain wanted to get aid to devastated Gaza “at volume and speed,” demonstrators criticised the government’s slowness to act over the genocidal war, calling for immediate, meaningful action, while accusing ministers “of being actively complicit in the genocide through military, diplomatic and economic support for Israel.”

Outside the meeting, four people wearing white headdresses posed solemnly above what appeared to be a model shrouded corpse and others banged on the pans with spoons.

A metres-long banner was held in front of the black gates in Whitehall reading “Genocide in Gaza” and “Death from famine and disease.”

Officers were seen carrying one person away, with their legs bound together as their trousers fell, and into a police van as protesters crowded around, shouting at the police: “Shame.”

A PSC spokesman said: “The recent scenes of starving babies and children from Gaza, as well the shooting of those seeking food aid at Israeli-controlled distribution points, have sparked global outrage.

“The government has found itself politically isolated in its support for the genocidal regime in Israel and has been forced to change track by the constant stream of protest and condemnation around the UK.

“So far it has made only cosmetic attempts to present itself as a humanitarian actor, such as the pitifully meagre and ineffective proposed use of air drops.”

It urged ministers to take “concrete steps” such as immediately introducing a comprehensive military embargo to end all arms trade and military collaboration with Israel and imposing travel bans and asset freezes against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and all of his government’s ministers.

The campaign group also called for an end to all trade negotiations with Israel and for introducing a total ban on all trade which aids or assists Israel’s violations of international law, including but not limited to trade with Israel’s illegal settlements. Sir Keir made no mention of the halting of arms trading with Israel.

A Stop the War spokeswoman said: “There’s been a state of emergency in Gaza for nearly 21 months now and it’s beyond disgraceful that the PM has only now recognised it and called this Cabinet meeting.

“The time for talking passed a long ago — action must immediately replace words and that must mean an absolute and immediate end to the supply of all weapons and intelligence to Israel.

“There must also be an end to the British state’s continued targeting and criminalisation of peaceful pro-Palestine protesters, which is why we will be back outside Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday morning demanding the charges against our chair Alex Kenny and [Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament general secretary] Sophie Bolt be dropped.”