Britain’s recognition of a Palestinian state was quickly followed by a demand for money. Within days, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called on the United Kingdom to pay reparations for its administration of the region under the British Mandate between 1917 and 1948. Estimates of the claim reach as high as £ 2 trillion. Hamas called the recognition a victory.

The demand has already divided British politics. Shadow Home Secretary Robert Jenrick dismissed it as “ahistorical nonsense” and pledged that no taxpayer funds would be used. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said the recognition was a mistake. On the Labour side, a few MPs have echoed past sympathies for reparations arguments, but the government insists recognition was symbolic and does not trigger payments. Legal experts

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