Canada joins France, UK with Palestine plan
OTTAWA
Canada plans to recognize a Palestinian state at the U.N. General Assembly in September, Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced, a major policy shift that drew an angry response from U.S. President Donald Trump and was rejected by Israel.
Carney said the move was necessary to preserve hopes of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a long-standing Canadian goal that was "being eroded before our eyes."
"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.
This makes Canada, a G7 nation, the third country, following recent announcements by France and the United Kingdom, to signal plans to recognize a Palestinian state in September.
Carney said the worsening suffering of civilians in Gaza left "no room for delay in coordinated international action to support peace."
Israel blasted Canada's announcement as part of a "distorted campaign of international pressure," while Trump warned that trade negotiations with Ottawa may not proceed smoothly.
"Wow! Canada has just announced that it is backing statehood for Palestine," the U.S. president wrote on his Truth Social platform.
"That will make it very hard for us to make a Trade Deal with them."
Asked by reporters if there was a scenario where Canada could change its position before the U.N. 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 body led by President Mahmoud Abbas, which has civil authority in parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Carney said his plans were further predicated on Abbas' pledge to "hold general elections in 2026 in which Hamas can play no part, and to demilitarize the Palestinian state."
With the announcement, Carney positioned Canada alongside France, after President Emmanuel Macron said his country would formally recognize a Palestinian state during the U.N. meeting, the most powerful European nation to announce such a move.
Canada's plan also goes a step further than this week's announcement by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Starmer said the U.K. will formally recognize the State of Palestine in September unless Israel takes various "substantive steps," including agreeing to a ceasefire in Gaza.
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 Oct. 7, 2023."
