Canada and other countries that do not recognize the state of Palestine have signed onto a joint statement saying they are giving “positive consideration” to the matter.
The statement was crafted this week during high-level talks at the United Nations in New York; a conference to revive the two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict. The meeting was chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, but boycotted by Israel and the United States.
The statement says the signatories have “already recognized, have expressed or express the willingness or the positive consideration of our countries to recognize the State of Palestine, as an essential step towards the two-State solution, and invite all countries that have not done so to join this call.”
Palestinian territories are split in half, with the Palestinian Authority ruling over the West Bank and Hamas ruling over the Gaza Strip.
Some of the countries that signed onto the statement that do not recognize Palestine as a state include Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Portugal. Iceland, Ireland, and Spain are some of the countries that already recognize Palestine.
Meanwhile, France, apparently leading the joint-statement initiative, announced last week it would recognize Palestinian statehood at the upcoming U.N. General Assembly in September. Around three quarters of U.N. member states recognize Palestine, but no members of the G7.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced this week his country would also recognize Palestine if Israel doesn’t meet certain conditions such as agreeing to a ceasefire. The UK, however, is not a signatory to the joint statement.
The joint statement also condemns Hamas’ terrorist attack of October 2023 and expresses “grave concern” over the humanitarian situation in Gaza. It urges countries that have not yet done so to establish normal relations with Israel.
The signing of the statement by Canada comes as the Liberal cabinet meets on July 30 to discuss the situation in the Middle East and U.S. trade negotiations.
Prime Minister Mark Carney spoke with his British counterpart Starmer on July 29 about the Middle East. The two leaders focused on the “rapidly deteriorating humanitarian disaster in Gaza, as well as the United Kingdom’s statement on the recognition of a Palestinian state,” a readout from the Prime Minister’s Office says.
Carney was asked by reporters on July 28 whether Canada would follow in the footsteps of France and recognize Palestine.
He said the first thing to recognize is the scale of the “humanitarian crisis in Gaza.”
“We have condemned what has caused this situation. It starts with Hamas and the deplorable terrorist attacks of October 7,” Carney said, adding that Canada has always supported a two-state solution guaranteeing that Israelis and Palestinians can coexist peacefully.
He said the solution “does not include Hamas in any role in a future Palestinian state, and we will take steps that advance those fundamental principles at the appropriate time.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has criticized initiatives to recognize Palestine as a state, saying it “rewards terror.”
