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The Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, has announced his country plans to formally recognise Palestine during the UN general assembly in September, after France and 14 other countries co-signed a declaration that pointed towards a wave of future recognitions of an independent Palestinian state.
Canada’s plans follow similar announcements by France and the UK to formally recognise Palestine, while New Zealand and Australia were also signatories to a declaration that indicates they could follow suit in the coming months.
The New York Call, published by the French foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, on Wednesday, said signatories “have already recognised, have expressed or express the willingness or the positive consideration of our countries to recognise the State of Palestine”.
The signatories include Andorra, Australia, Canada, Finland, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Portugal and San Marino, each of which has not yet recognised an independent Palestinian state. They also include Iceland, Ireland, Malta, Norway, Slovenia and Spain, which have. Emmanuel Macron last week said that France would recognise Palestinian statehood in the near future.
The statement, which was published before the conclusion of a three-day UN conference set on reviving a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, said the states would “reiterate our unwavering commitment to the vision of the two-state solution where two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, live side by side in peace within secure and recognised borders”.
It stressed the “importance of unifying the Gaza Strip with the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority”.
On Wednesday evening, Carney said Canada would recognise the state of Palestine at the UN general assembly in September if certain conditions were met. He held a virtual cabinet meeting on the Middle East earlier on Wednesday.
Carney said Canada would recognise Palestine if the Palestinian Authority, the body that governs the occupied West Bank, held an election in 2026 in which Palestinian militant group Hamas could play no part, and agreed to other democratic reforms.
He called on Hamas to release all hostages it is holding, disarm, and play no role in the future governance of Palestine.
In response, Iddo Moed, Israel’s ambassador to Canada, said Israel “will not bow to the distorted campaign of international pressure against it”.
“We will not sacrifice our very existence by permitting the imposition of a jihadist state on our ancestral homeland that seeks our annihilation,” he said in a statement referring to Hamas, which seized power in Gaza in 2007.
Carney’s remarks come amid growing pressure on Israel to end its military campaign in Gaza, which began in October 2023 in response to a Hamas raid that led to the deaths of 1,200 people, mainly Israelis, and the taking of more than 250 prisoners. More than 60,000 people have died in Gaza in the ensuing conflict, according to the Hamas-led health ministry in Gaza.
Keir Starmer on Tuesday said that the UK would recognise the state of in September “unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza, agree to a ceasefire and commit to a long-term, sustainable peace, reviving the prospect of a two-state solution”.
Donald Trump had initially said he didn’t “mind [Starmer] taking a position. I’m looking for getting people fed right now.”
But later he condemned the decision to recognise a Palestinian state, saying onboard Air Force One that “you could make the case that you’re rewarding Hamas if you do that. I don’t think they should be rewarded. So I’m not in that camp, to be honest … because if you do that you are really rewarding Hamas. And I’m not about to do that.”
The Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said this week he wanted to time a recognition of Palestinian statehood to help achieve a breakthrough in negotiations.
“What we’re looking at is the circumstances where recognition will advance the objective of the creation of two states,” Albanese said on Wednesday.
“My entire political life, I’ve said I support two states, the right of Israel to exist within secure borders and the right of Palestinians to have their legitimate aspirations for their own state realised. That’s my objective.”
Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Damon, condemned the declaration.
“While 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,” said Damon. “This is hypocrisy and a waste of time that legitimises terrorism and distances any chance of regional progress. Those who truly want to make progress should start with an unequivocal demand for the immediate return of all the hostages and the disarmament of Hamas.”
