Canada Intends To Recognise Palestinian State Following France And UK Israel Calls It 'Distorted Campaign'

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Canada will formally recognise a Palestinian state at the upcoming UN General Assembly session in September, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced on Wednesday, marking a dramatic policy shift from the country's previous stance.

Carney described the decision as crucial to safeguarding thehopes of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict - a long-standing Canadian goal that was“being eroded before our eyes.” This comes after France and the United Kingdom made similar announcement recently.

"Canada intends to recognize the State of Palestine at the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2025," the prime minister said.

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The announcement was met with immediate rejection from Israel and said that Canada's announcement as part of a "distorted campaign of international pressure."

What Carney said?

Asked by reporters if there was a scenario where Canada could change its position before the UN meeting, Carney said: "there's a scenario (but) possibly one that I can't imagine."

Canada's intention "is predicated on the Palestinian Authority's commitment to much-needed reforms," Carney said, referring to the government body led by President Mahmud Abbas , which has civil authority in parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Carney also said it was also predicated on Abbas's pledge to "hold general elections in 2026 in which Hamas can play no part, and to demilitarise the Palestinian state."

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Carney stressed that Canada has been an unwavering member of the group of nations that hoped a two-state solution "would be achieved as part of a peace process built around a negotiated settlement between the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority."

"Regrettably, this approach is no longer tenable," he said, citing "Hamas terrorism" and the group's "longstanding violent rejection of Israel's right to exist."

The peace process has also been eroded by the expansion of Israeli settlements across the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem, Carney said.

What Israel said?

The Israeli embassy in Ottawa said "recognizing a Palestinian state in the absence of accountable government, functioning institutions, or benevolent leadership, rewards and legitimizes the monstrous barbarity of Hamas on October 7, 2023."

PA's Abbas welcomed the announcement as a "historic" decision, while France said the countries would work together "to revive the prospect of peace in the region."

(With inputs from AFP)

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