Canada to recognize Palestine in September, subject to reform commitments
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Canadian PM Mark Carney with French President Emmanuel Macron at the G7 in June. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images.
Canada intends to recognize the State of Palestine at the UN General Assembly in September subject to a set of commitments by the Palestinian Authority, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Wednesday.
Why it matters: Canada is the third close U.S. ally that has announced in recent days its intention to recognize Palestine in September, further isolating the Trump administration and the Israeli government internationally.
- Carney stressed the new Canadian position is meant to try and preserve the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
- France said it will recognize Palestine in September, and the U.K. said it would do so unless Israel significantly changed course in Gaza.
- A White House official told Axios the U.S. would not follow suit. "As President Trump stated, he would be rewarding Hamas if he recognizes a Palestinian state, and he doesn't think they should be rewarded. So he is not going to do that. President Trump's focus is on getting people fed."
Driving the news: Carney said the recognition of Palestine is subject to a commitment by the Palestinian Authority to conduct reforms, hold elections in 2026, not allow Hamas to have any part in government and agree that the future Palestinian state will be demilitarized.
- Carney said he spoke on Wednesday to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas about these needed steps.
What he is saying: Carney explained that for many years Canada opposed the recognition of Palestine outside of a negotiated two-state solution, but stressed that this approach is no longer viable.
- He said the prospects for a two-state solution have been eroded by Hamas' terror attack on Oct. 7 and by Israeli settlements expansion in the occupied West Bank.
- He also mentioned that many key figures in the Israeli government oppose a Palestinian state and that the Israeli Knesset recently called for the annexation of the West Bank.
- Carney also mentioned the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza as a reason for the new Canadian position.
- "Preserving the two-state solution means standing with all people who choose peace over violence... a path for lasting peace for Israel requires a viable and stable Palestinian state that recognizes Israel's right for security and peace," Carney said.
The other side: The Israeli foreign ministry rejected the Canadian Prime Minister's statement.
- "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 Israeli foreign ministry said.
State of play: In addition to France, the U.K. and Canada, several other countries are also considering recognizing Palestine during the UN general assembly.
- Among those countries are two key U.S. allies — Australia and New Zealand. EU members Finland, Portugal and Luxembourg also said they are considering such a move, while Malta has said it plans to recognize Palestine.
- Around three-quarters of UN member states already recognize Palestine.
