British Foreign Secretary David (Lord) Cameron says his country could officially recognize a Palestinian state after a ceasefire in Gaza without waiting for the outcome of what could be years-long talks between Israel and the Palestinians on a two-state solution, accprding to Reuters news agency.

UK recognition of an independent state of Palestine, including in the United Nations, “can’t come at the start of the process, but it doesn’t have to be the very end of the process”, Cameron told The Associated Press.

“What we need to do is give the Palestinian people a horizon towards a better future, the future of having a state of their own,” he said.

That prospect is “absolutely vital for the long-term peace and security of the region,” he said. Cameron said the first step must be a “pause in the fighting” in Gaza that would eventually turn into “a permanent, sustainable ceasefire”.