Canada weighing recognition of Palestinian statehood: source
No decision has been made yet, the source says, but Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected to hold a virtual cabinet meeting Wednesday afternoon, at which time the situation in the Middle East will be discussed.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Tuesday the U.K. will recognize a Palestinian state in September unless Israel agrees to a ceasefire in Gaza, allows the UN to bring in aid and takes other steps toward long-term peace.
The two leaders spoke Tuesday, according to Carney's office, about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the U.K.'s statement on the recognition of a Palestinian state.France announced a similar plan last week, but without conditions. French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday there was "no alternative" to recognizing the state of Palestine and intends to do so at the UN General Assembly in September.
Asked last week whether he would follow France, Carney said Canada will continue to support a two-state solution with "a free and viable Palestine living in peace and side-by-side in peace and security with Israel."
Days later, Ottawa announced $10 million in funding for the Palestinian Authority's preparations to lead a globally recognized country that includes Gaza and the West Bank. The federal government is also adding $30 million to its humanitarian funding for desperate Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Trump says recognition rewards Hamas
Starmer, who is under mounting domestic pressure over the issue as scenes of hunger in Gaza horrify many Britons, convened a rare summertime cabinet meeting to discuss the situation in Gaza. It came after he discussed the crisis with U.S. President Donald Trump during a meeting in Scotland on Monday.
Trump told reporters he didn't mind Starmer "taking a position" on statehood. But he told reporters on board Air Force One travelling back to the U.S. that recognizing a Palestinian state would reward Palestinian militant group Hamas.
"You're rewarding Hamas if you do that. I don't think they should be rewarded," he said.
WATCH | Carney responds to France's intent to recognize Palestinian state:
Starmer said Tuesday that Britain will recognize a Palestinian state before the United Nations General Assembly "unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza, agree to a ceasefire and commit to a long-term, sustainable peace, reviving the prospect of a two-state solution."
"And this includes allowing the UN to restart the supply of aid, and making clear there will be no annexations in the West Bank," he said.
Israel's Foreign Ministry rejects British move
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu rejects the two-state solution on both nationalistic and security grounds.
"The shift in the British government's position at this time, following the French move and internal political pressures, constitutes a reward for Hamas and harms efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and a framework for the release of hostages," Israel's Foreign Ministry said on X.
Starmer also repeated U.K. demands that Hamas release all the hostages it holds, agree to a ceasefire, disarm and "accept that they will play no part in the government of Gaza."
In a televised statement, he said that his government will assess in September "how far the parties have met these steps" before making a final decision on recognition.
Britain has long supported the idea of an independent Palestinian state existing alongside Israel, but has said recognition should come as part of a negotiated two-state solution to the conflict.
But Starmer said Tuesday Britain was willing to take the step because "the very idea of a two-state solution is reducing and feels further away today than it has for many years."
He said that despite the set of conditions he set out, Britain believes that "statehood is the inalienable right of the Palestinian people."
Announcement follows France
France would become the first among the G7 to recognize a Palestinian state.
More than 140 countries recognize a Palestinian state, including a dozen in Europe.
As with France, British recognition would be largely symbolic, but could increase diplomatic pressure for an end to the conflict — especially as Starmer appears to have the tacit approval of Trump.
Both Israel and Hamas are facing pressure at home and abroad to reach a deal following almost two years of war, with the humanitarian situation inside Gaza deteriorating and Israelis worried about the conditions in which hostages are being held.
Netanyahu condemned Macron's decision, saying that such a move "rewards terror and risks creating another Iranian proxy."
"A Palestinian state in these conditions would be a launch pad to annihilate Israel — not to live in peace beside it. Let's be clear: the Palestinians do not seek a state alongside Israel; they seek a state instead of Israel," Netanyahu said in a post on X.
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