UNITED NATIONS (AP) \u2014 Canada and Malta announced Wednesday they will recognize the state of Palestine in September, joining France and the United Kingdom in stepping up pressure to end the nearly 80-year Israeli-Palestinian conflict.<\/p>\n
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney made the announcement after a Cabinet meeting. Christopher Cutajar, the permanent secretary at Malta\u2019s Foreign Ministry, made his country\u2019s announcement earlier at the U.N. General Assembly\u2019s meeting on a two-state solution<\/a> to the conflict which was extended to a third day because of the high number of countries wanting to speak.<\/p>\n Cutajar said Malta has long supported self-determination for the Palestinian people, and \u201cas responsible actors, we have a duty to work to translate the concept of a two-state solution from theory into practice.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt is for this reason that the government of Malta has taken the principled decision to formally recognize the state of Palestine at the upcoming U.N. General Assembly in September,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Carney said Canada will also make its announcement at the annual gathering of world leaders which starts Sept. 23. He said the intention is predicated on the Palestinian Authority \u201cholding general elections in 2026 in which Hamas can play no part, and to demilitarize the Palestinian state.\u201d Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas made those promises in a June 10 letter and it\u2019s unclear what more Carney is seeking.<\/p>\n Malta says it wants a \u2018lasting peace\u2019 in Mideast<\/p>\n Malta\u2019s Prime Minister Robert Abela earlier announced the decision by his country, a former British colony, to recognize a Palestinian state on Facebook, saying it is part of the nation\u2019s efforts \u201cfor a lasting peace in the Middle East.\u201d<\/p>\n The Mediterranean island nation and European Union member will join more than 145 countries, including over a dozen European nations, in recognizing the state of Palestine.<\/p>\n French President Emmanuel Macron<\/a> announced ahead of this week\u2019s meeting that his country will recognize the state of Palestine at the annual gathering of world leaders at the 193-member General Assembly which starts Sept. 23.<\/p>\n United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer<\/a> announced Tuesday that Britain would recognize the state of Palestine before September\u2019s meeting, but would refrain if Israel agrees to a ceasefire and long-term peace process in the next eight weeks.<\/p>\n France and Britain are the biggest Western powers and, with Canada, three members of the Group of Seven major industrialized nations have now made such a pledge.<\/p>\n Israel opposes a two-state solution and is boycotting the meeting along with its closest ally, the United States.<\/p>\n Israel\u2019s U.N. ambassador, Danny Danon, on Tuesday sharply criticized about 125 countries participating in the conference and new recognitions of a Palestinian state, saying \u201cthere are those in the world who fight terrorists and extremist forces and then there are those who turn a blind eye to them or resort to appeasement.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cWhile our hostages are languishing in Hamas terror tunnels in Gaza, these countries choose to engage in hollow statements instead of investing their efforts in their release,\u201d Danon said. \u201cThis is hypocrisy and a waste of time that legitimizes terrorism and distances any chance of regional progress.\u201d<\/p>\n Malta\u2019s Cutajar countered that \u201crecognition is not merely symbolic \u2013 it is a concrete step towards the realization of a just and lasting peace.\u201d<\/p>\n Quick action is urged<\/p>\n High-level representatives at the U.N. conference on Tuesday urged Israel to commit to a Palestinian state<\/a> and gave \u201cunwavering support\u201d to a two-state solution, and they urged all countries that haven\u2019t recognized the state of Palestine to do so quickly.<\/p>\n The seven-page \u201cNew York Declaration\u201d sets out a phased plan to end the Israel-Palestinian conflict and the ongoing war in Gaza. The plan would culminate with an independent, demilitarized Palestine living side by side peacefully with Israel, and their eventual integration into the wider Mideast region. <\/p>\n