Canada is going to recognise a Palestinian state at the 80th session of the UN General Assembly to be held in September 2025, the country’s Prime Minister Mark Carney announced.
According to the Canadian Prime Minister, the head of the Palestinian National Authority Mahmoud Abbas assured him that he will hold elections in 2026 in which Hamas ‘will not take any part’ and pledged ‘not to militarise’ the Palestinian state.
Malta also announced its intention to recognise Palestine at the UN General Assembly on the evening of 30 July. Prime Minister Robert Abela said it was part of the country’s efforts ‘to achieve lasting peace in the Middle East.’ Reuters notes that Abela first announced plans to recognise Palestine in May, saying it would happen at a UN conference in June, but that conference was later postponed.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry called the Canadian government’s decision a ‘reward for Hamas’ and ‘a blow to efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza.’ And Donald Trump said Canada’s decision to recognise Palestine would be an obstacle in trade relations with the US.
Canada has become the third G7 country to announce its intention to recognise the independence of the Palestinian state. French President Emmanuel Macron was the first G7 leader to announce the decision to recognise Palestine, followed by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Back in May, the independence of Palestine was also recognised by three European countries – Norway, Ireland and Spain. At that time the state of Palestine was officially recognised by 143 out of 193 UN member states, including Russia and China. The US and Israel do not recognise Palestinian statehood.
