Prime Minister Mark Carney has said Canada plans to recognise a Palestinian state in September. Israel’s foreign ministry rejected Canada’s announcement, calling it “a reward for Hamas”. Most countries – 147 of the UN’s 193 member states – formally recognise a Palestinian state. US President Donald Trump said Canada’s move threatens a US-Canada trade deal.
OTTAWA JULY 31: Prime Minister Mark Carney has said Canada plans to recognise a Palestinian state in September, becoming the third G7 nation to make such an announcement in recent days. Carney said the move depends on democratic reforms, including the Palestinian Authority holding elections next year without Hamas.
Carney told reporters that the reality on the ground, including starvation of people in Gaza, meant “the prospect of a Palestinian state is literally receding before our eyes.”
– “Canada condemns the fact that the Israeli government has allowed a catastrophe to unfold in Gaza,” he said.
Carney said the planned recognition was based in part on repeated assurances from the Palestinian Authority, which represents the State of Palestine at the U.N., that it was reforming its governance and is willing to hold general elections in 2026 in which Hamas “can play no part.”
His remarks come a day after the UK announced it would recognise a Palestinian state in September unless Israel agreed to a ceasefire and other conditions and a week after France unveiled a similar plan.
Israel’s foreign ministry rejected Canada’s announcement, calling it “a reward for Hamas”. Most countries – 147 of the UN’s 193 member states – formally recognise a Palestinian state.
US President Donald Trump said Canada’s move threatens a US-Canada trade deal.
Sweden recognized Palestine back in 2014.
