Canada now officially recognizes the State of Palestine and is doing so with international partners to preserve the prospect of a two-state solution, according to a statement from Prime Minister Mark Carney’s office released Sunday morning.
“Over many decades, Canada’s commitment to [a two-state solution] was premised on the expectation that this outcome would eventually be achieved as part of a negotiated settlement,” the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said.
However, that possibility “has been steadily and gravely eroded” by several developments, including the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel, the Israeli parliament’s resolution supporting annexation of the occupied West Bank and the Israeli government’s restrictions on humanitarian aid.
“Hamas has terrorized the people of Israel and oppressed the people of Gaza, wreaking horrific suffering,” the PMO statement said. “Hamas has stolen from the Palestinian people, cheated them of their life and liberty and can in no way dictate their future.”
In addition, “the current Israeli government is working methodically to prevent the prospect of a Palestinian state from ever being established…. It is now the avowed policy of the current Israeli government that ‘there will be no Palestinian state.”
The PMO added that Canada offers its partnership in “building the promise of a peaceful future for both the State of Palestine and the State of Israel.”
WATCH | Carney says prospect of 2-state solution being ‘eroded before our eyes’:
Carney on whether recognizing a Palestinian state is a ‘critique’ of Israel
Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada’s decision to recognize the State of Palestine was influenced by the possibility of a two-state solution being ‘eroded before our eyes.’
The announcement comes as Carney prepares to meet with world leaders in New York during the United Nations General Assembly.
On Sunday morning, Australia and the United Kingdom announced they were recognizing the State of Palestine. In a video statement posted to social media, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said his government is “acting to keep alive the possibility of peace and a two-state solution.”
“That means a safe and secure Israel, alongside a viable Palestinian state. At the moment, we have neither,” Starmer said.
Carney first announced the move in July and said recognition was conditional on the Palestinian Authority, which controls parts of the West Bank, making certain commitments.
Those commitments include governance reforms, general elections in 2026 in which Hamas can play no part and the demilitarization of the Palestinian state.
The PMO said that “Canada will intensify efforts to support the Palestinian Authority’s implementation of this reform agenda, on which progress has already been made.”
More to come.