A reflection from the Co-Leads of the Movement for Progressive Judaism, Rabbi Charley Baginsky and Rabbi Josh Levy, on the UK Government’s Decision to Recognise a State of Palestine:

To strive for peace is at the heart of Jewish tradition. In Psalms we read: “Seek peace and pursue it” (Psalm 34:15). Hillel teaches, “Be a disciple of Aaron, loving peace and pursuing peace” (Pirkei Avot 1:12). Peace is not something for which Jews sit and wait. Pursuing peace is not optional in Jewish life, it is essential.   

As we reflect on the UK Government’s decision, announced this afternoon, to recognise a State of Palestine, we seek to do so with this Jewish commitment in mind. Rarely has this injunction been harder to hold onto than in this time.  

This moment is painful. With the trauma of October 7 still so raw, and the plight of the hostages an open wound, recognition feels to many like a reward for violence or a diminishment of their suffering.  

We remain absolutely clear: terror must never be rewarded. The taking of hostages, the rejection of Israel’s right to exist, and the targeting of civilians must be condemned without qualification. The release of all hostages and the disarming of Hamas are non-negotiable.  

At the same time, there are those who through their pain will welcome the principle of recognition: as a statement that peace must remain possible, and that the two-state solution remains the only sustainable path to peace, security and dignity for two peoples whose futures are bound together. 

As Jews we can hold these two voices at once.   

Now that a decision on recognition has been reached, the question before us is how to respond. Our answer is that it must make a difference. It must be more than a gesture.   

The Government has not done enough to explain the difference that this can make, or to give meaning to this decision. It must do more to make real the commitments of the New York Declaration, to lead the wider international effort to build a credible framework for peace, and to bring genuine investment in the infrastructure of peace. Without this, recognition will do little to advance security or dignity for either Palestinians or Israelis and may prove to be counterproductive. 

Recognition alone is not enough. Peace requires action on all sides. Hamas rule must be ended – with the Palestinian leadership rejecting violence and terror, and building accountable institutions. The international community must support humanitarian aid, secure the release of hostages, protect civilians on both sides, and invest in the political and social foundations of peace. The Israeli Government must heed the cry of the hundreds of thousands of Israelis who have taken to the streets to call for an end to this war and a just settlement for all in the region. 

Having chosen the path of recognition, we call on our Government and its partners to strive for these outcomes. Only then can it become a true pursuit of peace. 

Our tradition reminds us that peace is not a gift that arrives fully formed, but something we are commanded to seek and to build. As our sages taught: “Great is peace, for all other blessings are included in it.” (Leviticus Rabbah 9:9). It is incumbent on all of us, whatever our views on recognition, to share our vision of how peace can be achieved. 

If recognition is to mean anything, it must be part of that building: a step, however fragile, towards a future in which Israelis and Palestinians can live side by side, each in dignity, each in security, each in peace.