{"id":155454,"date":"2025-09-19T18:46:07","date_gmt":"2025-09-19T18:46:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/155454\/"},"modified":"2025-09-19T18:46:07","modified_gmt":"2025-09-19T18:46:07","slug":"canada-will-withhold-normalization-of-relations-with-palestine-until-conditions-met-anand-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/155454\/","title":{"rendered":"Canada will withhold normalization of relations with Palestine until conditions met, Anand says"},"content":{"rendered":"

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

A tent camp abandoned by displaced Palestinians who dismantled their tents to flee Gaza City, on Friday.EBRAHIM HAJJAJ\/Reuters<\/p>\n

Canada, which is preparing shortly to recognize Palestine as a sovereign state, will nevertheless withhold full normalization of relations until the territory\u2019s leadership delivers on commitments they made, including releasing Israeli hostages, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said.<\/p>\n

Speaking to reporters Friday during a visit with Prime Minister Mark Carney<\/a> to Mexico, Ms. Anand said she intended to speak the same day with Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas to drive home this point.<\/p>\n

She said Canada\u2019s conditions include Hamas laying down its weapons, the return of Israelis kidnapped by Hamas, for Hamas to have no role in the future governance of Palestine and for there to be democratic reforms in the territory. The Canadian government considers Hamas a terrorist organization.<\/p>\n

Canada\u2019s plan to recognize Palestinian statehood prompts swift, divided reaction<\/a><\/p>\n

Ms. Anand said Canada has long supported a two-state solution to resolve conflict between Israel and Palestinians, and that recognizing Palestine\u2019s sovereignity now is important because a window for that outcome might otherwise close.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn order for this two-state solution to be viable, given what is happening in Gaza, recognition now is extremely important and necessary, because the viability of a two-state solution is eroding.\u201d<\/p>\n

Israel, which has come under strong international condemnation for the way it\u2019s prosecuting the war in Gaza<\/a>, is currently pressing ahead with an assault on Gaza City. <\/p>\n

Canada\u2019s plan to follow several other countries in recognizing Palestine as a state has angered the Israeli government.<\/p>\n

Explainer: What does Canada\u2019s recognition of a Palestinian state mean in practice?<\/a><\/p>\n

Ms. Anand said recognition and normalization of diplomatic relations are two different things, the latter being a step-by-step process.<\/p>\n

\u201cRecognition is binary. You either recognize or you do not,\u201d the minister said.<\/p>\n

\u201cNormalization is a process, and the process of normalization involves increases in diplomatic relationships. It involves opening embassies. It involves opening consulates. It involves ensuring that there are processes for transfer of citizens between the two states at issue.\u201d <\/p>\n

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand addresses the United Nations General Assembly in July, 2025. Ms. Anand on Friday says the process of normalization involves increases in diplomatic relationships and opening embassies and consulates.Richard Drew\/The Associated Press<\/p>\n

Ms. Anand said normalized relations are completely discretionary. \u201cCanada will retain discretion, as will all other states that we are working with \u2013 the U.K., France and Australia \u2013 we are having deep conversations about these issues with them,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe discretion rests with Canada and until we see greater reforms from the Palestinian Authority.\u201d<\/p>\n

A statement from the Prime Minister\u2019s Office Friday said Prime Minister Mark Carney will attend the United Nations General Assembly next week and reconfirmed Canada\u2019s plan to formally recognize the state of Palestine. The PMO added, however, that this step is \u201cpredicated on progress on key reform commitments and advanced alongside several international partners.\u201d<\/p>\n

The statement added that Mr. Carney, \u201cin response to the deteriorating situation in the Middle East,\u201d will \u201cstress the urgent need to end the suffering of Palestinian civilians, immediately release all hostages held by Hamas, and ensure progress toward a just and lasting peace.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs said in a statement that Canada\u2019s symbolic recognition emboldens Hamas, and undermines efforts to secure the release of hostages and a ceasefire.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Palestinian Authority must be held accountable, and the Government of Canada should require Hamas to return all Israeli hostages, disarm, and relinquish control in Gaza,\u201d said CEO Noah Shack in the statement.<\/p>\n

Opinion: Does the recognition of a state answer the \u2018Palestine question?\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

Hamas, the militant group administering Gaza, triggered the war when it attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 back to Gaza as hostages, according to Israeli figures.<\/p>\n

In almost two years of fighting, Israel\u2019s offensive has killed more than 65,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities, and demolished most of the structures in the tiny enclave, which is now gripped by hunger and even famine.<\/p>\n

Earlier this week a United Nations independent commission of inquiry published a report<\/a> which concluded that Israel is committing genocide in the Gaza Strip as defined by the UN\u2019s 1948 genocide convention. <\/p>\n

Israel has dismissed the genocide accusation as false. It says the extent of hunger has been exaggerated and that Hamas could end the war at once if it surrendered, freed the hostages, disarmed and disbanded.<\/p>\n

Hamas says it will not disarm until a Palestinian state is established. Numerous attempts to mediate an end to the conflict have failed.<\/p>\n

With files from Reuters<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Open this photo in gallery: A tent camp abandoned by displaced Palestinians who dismantled their tents to flee…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":155455,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[49,48,44,714],"class_list":{"0":"post-155454","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-canada","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-news","11":"tag-politics"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155454","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=155454"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155454\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/155455"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=155454"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=155454"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=155454"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}