{"id":305344,"date":"2025-07-31T01:18:11","date_gmt":"2025-07-31T01:18:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/305344\/"},"modified":"2025-07-31T01:18:11","modified_gmt":"2025-07-31T01:18:11","slug":"following-france-and-uk-canada-says-it-will-recognize-palestinian-state-in-september","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/305344\/","title":{"rendered":"Following France and UK, Canada says it will recognize Palestinian state in September"},"content":{"rendered":"

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Wednesday that Canada will recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly in September, in a fresh diplomatic blow to Israel as it faces increasingly intensifying international criticism over the war in Gaza.<\/p>\n

He said the move was \u201cpredicated on the Palestinian Authority\u2019s commitment to much-needed reforms\u201d including elections in 2026, anti-corruption measures, and a demilitarized Palestinian state. Carney stressed he was \u201cnot in any way or shape minimizing that scale of that task.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cClearly that\u2019s not a possibility in the near term,\u201d the prime minister said, adding that Canada has joined the efforts of other states to \u201cpreserve the possibility of a two state solution.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMuch has to happen before a democratic viable state is established,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Canada had long stated it would only recognize a Palestinian state at the conclusion of peace talks with Israel. But Carney said the reality on the ground, including the mounting hunger crisis in Gaza, meant \u201cthe prospect of a Palestinian state is literally receding before our eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Among the reasons, he said, were \u201cthe pervasive threat of Hamas terrorism to Israel,\u201d accelerated settlement construction and a vote by the Knesset calling for the annexation of the West Bank.<\/p>\n

\u201cCanada condemns the fact that the Israeli government has allowed a catastrophe to unfold in Gaza,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Displaced Palestinians at the Nuseirat refugee camp haul food parcels and other items they managed to get from a GHF aid distribution point in the central Gaza Strip on July 30, 2025.(Eyad BABA \/ AFP)<\/p>\n

Responding to Carney, the Foreign Ministry said Israel \u201crejects\u201d Canada\u2019s announcement on recognizing Palestinian statehood.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe change in the position of the Canadian government at this time is a reward for Hamas and harms the efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and a framework for the release of the hostages,\u201d said the ministry on X.<\/p>\n

Iddo Moed, Israel\u2019s ambassador to Canada, said Israel \u201cwill not bow to the distorted campaign of international pressure against it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will not sacrifice our very existence by permitting the imposition of a jihadist state on our ancestral homeland that seeks our annihilation,\u201d he said in a statement.<\/p>\n

\u201dRecognizing a Palestinian state in the absence of accountable government, functioning institutions, or benevolent leadership, rewards and legitimizes the monstrous barbarity of Hamas,\u201d Moed continued. \u201cIt punishes Israeli and Palestinian victims of Hamas, vindicates Hamas.\u201d<\/p>\n

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas meanwhile welcomed the \u201chistoric\u201d Canadian during a phone call with Carney, according to the PA\u2019s official Wafa news agency, which quoted Abbas as saying the move would \u201cenhance peace, stability, and security in the region.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carney\u2019s announcement came on the heels of similar declarations by fellow G7 states France and the UK, as anger grows among Israel\u2019s allies over the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Malta, a member of the European Union, said earlier Wednesday that it would also recognize a Palestinian state.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey understand that it\u2019s just a rhetorical statement,\u201d said Emmanuel Nahshon, former ambassador to Belgium and Foreign Ministry deputy director-general for public diplomacy, \u201cbut it\u2019s meant first and foremost at the Israeli government in order to show displeasure and disapproval of the actions of the Israeli government not only in Gaza, but also the free hand given to extreme settlers in the West Bank.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/p>\n

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, left, and French President Emmanuel Macron hold a joint press conference in London, July 10, 2025. (Leon Neal\/Pool Photo via AP)<\/p>\n

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Tuesday that the UK would recognize a Palestinian state in September unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end the war and humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, and meets several other conditions, including recommitting to a viable peace process.<\/p>\n

The decision, which was relayed by Starmer to his cabinet and then to the public by way of a statement at 10 Downing Street, was swiftly condemned by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who declared the move \u201crewards Hamas\u2019s monstrous terrorism.\u201d<\/p>\n

Last week, French President Emmanuel Macron made a surprise diplomatic gamble by announcing that France would recognize Palestine in September.<\/p>\n

Macron, who did not offer Israel a way to avoid the unilateral declaration of Palestinian statehood, had been pushing Starmer to follow his lead, as were a growing number of lawmakers in Britain\u2019s ruling Labour Party, seeing it as a way to pressure Israel amid growing concern of starvation in Gaza.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s purely symbolic if you ask me,\u201d said Pascaline Wagemans, Director of Forum of Strategic Dialogue at the European Leadership Network.<\/p>\n

She said the announcements \u201cundermine negotiations and rewards terrorism, especially October 7.\u201d<\/p>\n

There remain influential European countries that are resisting recognition. Germany, one of Israel\u2019s closest allies, has said it \u201cdoes not plan to recognize a Palestinian state in the short term.\u201d Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said the move would be \u201ccounterproductive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Norway, Spain, Ireland and Slovenia all announced recognition following the outbreak of the Gaza conflict, along with several other non-European countries.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Prime Minister of Malta Robert Abela speaks to journalists at the Mediterranean College of Sport in Birkirkara, Malta, May 4, 2025. (Rene Rossignaud\/AP)<\/p>\n

Around 145 countries now recognize or plan to recognize Palestinian statehood, which the White House on Wednesday reiterated that US President Donald Trump would not be doing.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs the president stated, he would be rewarding Hamas if he recognizes a Palestinian state, and he doesn\u2019t think they should be rewarded. So he is not going to do that. President Trump\u2019s focus is on getting people fed,\u201d a White House officials said in a statement sent out to reporters querying regarding the Canadian announcement.<\/p>\n

Trump, in comments on Tuesday, avoided overly criticizing the UK and France for their plans to recognize a Palestinian state, asserting that their leaders have a right to their decisions.<\/p>\n

The latest statement from the White House appeared to maintain that same approach. While Israel may have hoped that the US would actively seek to prevent countries from recognizing a Palestinian state, Washington so far has not appeared to be doing so.<\/p>\n

Notably, the White House statement said Trump\u2019s focus was on addressing the hunger crisis in the Gaza Strip, and not on releasing the remaining hostages amid the logjam in ceasefire negotiations.<\/p>\n

Trump announced on Monday that he was working on a new Gaza aid plan that would see additional food centers established in the Strip to feed Gazans. The White House said on Tuesday that details would be forthcoming, but has yet to follow up.<\/p>\n

While Trump said Tuesday that Israel would be responsible for running the new food centers, a senior Israeli official told The Times of Israel that they were unaware of any such initiative in the works.<\/p>\n

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Wednesday that Canada will recognize a Palestinian state at the United…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":305345,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5309],"tags":[2000,299,36],"class_list":{"0":"post-305344","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-france","8":"tag-eu","9":"tag-europe","10":"tag-france"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114945215915627323","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/305344","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=305344"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/305344\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/305345"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=305344"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=305344"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=305344"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}