Canada has announced plans to recognise a Palestinian state in September, joining France and the United Kingdom in a growing shift among G7 nations. Prime Minister Mark Carney said the decision is conditional on democratic reforms within the Palestinian Authority, including the holding of elections without the participation of Hamas.
The announcement comes as international pressure mounts on Israel over its ongoing military campaign in Gaza. Carney cited the expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, worsening humanitarian conditions in Gaza, and the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel as catalysts for Canada’s foreign policy shift.
“The level of human suffering in Gaza is intolerable and it is rapidly deteriorating,” Carney said during a press briefing. He added that the traditional path toward a two-state solution through prolonged negotiations is no longer viable. “The prospect of a Palestinian state is being eroded before our eyes.”
Carney clarified that recognition would depend on governance reforms and demilitarisation commitments from the Palestinian Authority, which controls parts of the West Bank under President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party. Hamas, classified as a terrorist organisation by Canada and several Western countries, continues to govern Gaza. Neither territory has held democratic elections since 2006.
The announcement drew sharp criticism from Israel’s foreign ministry, which labelled it “a reward for Hamas” and said it would undermine ceasefire efforts and hostage negotiations. Canada’s Conservative Party also condemned the move, arguing it sends the wrong message in the wake of the October 7 attacks, in which 1,200 Israelis were killed and 251 taken hostage.
Despite the criticism, Carney said Canada made its decision independently, though it follows similar declarations from the UK and France. Nearly 200 former Canadian diplomats recently urged the government to recognise Palestine, citing violations of human rights and international law in Gaza and the West Bank.
If implemented, Canada’s decision will leave the United States as the only permanent UN Security Council member that does not recognise Palestinian statehood. Currently, 147 of the UN’s 193 member states formally recognise Palestine.
