After France and the UK, Canada to Recognise Palestine; Israel Calls the Move Hypocritical

Ottawa, July 31 – Following in the footsteps of France and the United Kingdom, Canada and Malta have also announced their decision to recognise Palestine as an independent state. Canada is expected to formally grant this recognition during the United Nations General Assembly in September.

Over the past ten days, French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced their intention to formally recognise Palestine in September. With France, the UK, and Canada now aligned on the issue, three major G7 nations have come together in support of Palestine.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney stated that Canada would move forward with recognising Palestine as an independent state during the UN General Assembly session beginning on 23 September. However, he added certain conditions to this recognition, including that Palestine must conduct general elections in 2026 without any involvement of Hamas. No elections have been held in Palestine since 2006. Another condition laid out was the establishment of a demilitarised Palestinian state.

Carney reportedly discussed these conditions with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who has agreed to them, according to Carney.

Meanwhile, Christopher Cutajar, Permanent Secretary of Malta’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, confirmed that Malta will also formally recognise Palestine in September.

Conditions Attached by the UK and Canada

A notable development is that both the UK and Canada have attached conditions to their recognition of Palestine. The UK has stated it will proceed with recognition in September if Israel does not agree to a ceasefire with Hamas. Canada has made recognition conditional upon upcoming elections and the disarmament of Palestine. In contrast, France has initiated its recognition campaign without any preconditions.

Israel has strongly opposed these announcements recognising Palestine. Following Canada’s declaration, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement saying the move would hinder efforts for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages. Israel described the recognition as “hypocrisy” and a “waste of time.”

Currently, 147 countries support Palestine’s recognition at the United Nations, but it has yet to be granted official statehood. Palestine has been seeking recognition as an independent state at the UN since the 1970s.

The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, which has continued for nearly two years, has resulted in the deaths of over 60,000 people. A severe humanitarian crisis has emerged due to food shortages and attacks on refugee camps, leading to mounting international pressure on Israel.