Ottawa, MINA – Canada has announced its intention to formally recognise the State of Palestine during the upcoming UN General Assembly in September, joining a rising coalition of Western nations pushing back against Israel’s decades-long impunity, Middle East Monitor reported.
Prime Minister Mark Carney made the announcement following a Cabinet meeting, aligning Canada with countries such as France and the UK in what is being seen as a major international effort to revive the two-state solution amid a worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
The move is part of the “New York Call,” a joint declaration supported by 17 nations including New Zealand, Australia, Portugal, Finland, and San Marino. While some signatories, including Spain, Ireland, and Norway have already recognised Palestine, others have signalled they will follow soon.
The declaration reaffirms the goal of “two democratic states living side by side in peace within secure and recognised borders” and stresses the need for Gaza and the occupied West Bank to be unified under the governance of the Palestinian Authority.
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Carney noted that Canada’s recognition will be conditional upon democratic reforms within the PA and the exclusion of Hamas from future leadership roles. He called for Hamas to disarm, release captives, and withdraw politically.
The decision drew strong criticism from Israel and its allies in Washington. US President Donald Trump warned that it could threaten US-Canada trade relations, claiming Palestinian recognition legitimises “terrorism”, a claim widely rejected by rights groups and experts.
Critics have long highlighted the double standard in international policy, where Israel has been rewarded with diplomatic protection despite its long record of war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and illegal settlement construction. Meanwhile, Palestinians have been denied sovereignty for over 75 years.
The 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, which offered Israel full normalisation with the Arab world in exchange for withdrawal from occupied territories and recognition of a Palestinian state, was repeatedly rejected by successive Israeli governments.
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In recent weeks, France and the UK announced their intention to recognise Palestine at the UN if Israel does not end its war on Gaza and re-engage in peace negotiations. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressed openness to recognition, though emphasised it must align with advancing a political solution.
Since October 2023, more than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, with the territory facing mass starvation, collapse of infrastructure, and displacement at a level widely described as genocidal. []
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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