‘Peace Needs Palestine’: Canada Joins France And UK, To Back Statehood Recognition At UNGA Meet

An independent, viable and sovereign Palestinian state living side by side with the State of Israel in peace and security – that is the vision we are reaffirming, said Prime Minister Mark Carney.

Standing beside Foreign Minister Anita Anand, Prime Minister Mark Carney confirmed the decision on Wednesday. (Photo: Screen grab/Reuters)

Ottawa: Taking cue from France and the United Kingdom, Canada has announced it will formally recognise the State of Palestine this September during the 80th United Nations General Assembly. The development marks a major policy shift as Western pressure mounts on Israel to accept a two-state solution in the wake of the deepening Gaza war.

Standing beside Foreign Minister Anita Anand, Prime Minister Mark Carney confirmed the decision on Wednesday. “Canada has long been committed to a two-state solution. An independent, viable and sovereign Palestinian state living side by side with the State of Israel in peace and security – that is the vision we are reaffirming,” he said.

Canada’s decision comes on the heels of similar announcements from European powers. France has already said it will formally recognise Palestine during the UNGA meeting in September. Under Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the United Kingdom has also laid down a roadmap for recognition, contingent on Israeli action, including an end to the ongoing military campaign in Gaza.

 “We are taking cue from global partners who believe peace is only possible when Palestine is treated as a legitimate state actor,” Carney added.

He clarified that Canada’s upcoming recognition rests on what he described as “important assurances” from the Palestinian Authority. He cited direct conversations with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

“The Palestinian Authority has committed to lead much needed reform. President Abbas assured me his administration will conduct long-overdue national elections in 2026. Hamas will play no part,” he stated.

The Canadian leader also noted Abbas’s “clear commitment” to keep the future Palestinian state demilitarised.

With international eyes trained on the Gaza Strip, where hunger and devastation continue to mount under Israeli blockade, Ottawa’s stance is a marked pivot in its Middle East posture. Carney’s move adds weight to growing frustration among global leaders over the humanitarian crisis and the lack of progress toward a diplomatic resolution.

“Canada will always steadfastly support Israel’s existence as an independent state in the Middle East, living in peace and security. But any path to lasting peace for Israel also requires a viable and stable Palestinian state, one that recognises Israel’s inalienable right to security,” he said.

Carney mentioned that the announcement followed a call with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The two leaders exchanged views on Gaza’s spiraling humanitarian disaster and the UK’s evolving position on Palestinian recognition.

Israel’s government wasted no time in pushing back. In a statement posted to X (formerly Twitter), the Foreign Ministry blasted Canada’s decision, calling it “a reward to Hamas”.

“The 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,” the ministry said.

That argument echoes prior criticism from both Israel and the United States when France and the United Kingdom announced similar plans.

While supporting a two-state solution, Washington has so far declined to follow the same path.

Canada, in fact, had only recently joined a coalition of allies, including the United Kingdom, Norway, New Zealand and Australia, in slapping sanctions on two far-right ministers in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet. That move signalled growing frustration among Western partners over Israel’s escalating settler violence and continued expansion of West Bank settlements.

A joint statement from the five nations at the time read, “We are steadfastly committed to the two-state solution, which is the only way to guarantee security and dignity for Israelis and Palestinians and ensure long term stability in the region, but it is imperiled by extremist settler violence and settlement expansion.”

Still, not everyone is on board. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio dismissed the sanctions move as unhelpful. He argued it does little to “advance US-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home and end the war”.

But for Carney, the calculus appears to be shifting fast. With each passing week of bloodshed in Gaza, the political space for symbolic neutrality is shrinking. By stepping into the ring alongside Paris, London and others, Ottawa is now openly backing a path that sees Palestinian statehood not only as an aspiration, but as a diplomatic reality waiting to be recognised.