Carney Says Canada Will Recognize Palestinian State in September

Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada will recognize Palestinian statehood given the Palestinian Authority’s commitment to make certain reforms.

“Canada intends to recognize the state of Palestine at the 80th General Assembly of the United Nations which will take place in September,” Carney said during a press conference on July 30 in Ottawa. The announcement was made after a meeting of the Liberal cabinet in the afternoon, where the situation in the Middle East was discussed.

Carney said the intention to recognize Palestine is “predicated on the Palestinian Authority’s commitment to much-needed reforms.”

Carney added that he has spoken extensively with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, and that Abbas has committed to significant reform including holding general elections next year and not militarizing a potential state of Palestine. No elections have been held in Palestinian Territories for nearly two decades.

“We are part of a growing and very significant international community” working against active opponents to the two-state solution in Israel, Carney said.

Canada committed to $30 million in additional aid for humanitarian efforts in Gaza on July 30 as well as $10 million to support the Palestinian Authority’s governance.

“Canada will always steadfastly support Israel’s existence as an independent state in the Middle East, living in peace and security,” Carney said, adding that “any path to lasting peace for Israel also requires a viable and stable Palestinian state.”

Carney was flanked by Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand, who had just returned from a United Nations conference in New York centred on reviving the two-state solution between Israel and Palestine. The conference was co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced last week his country would recognize Palestinian statehood at the upcoming U.N. General Assembly in September. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said this week that his country would also follow suit unless Israel agrees to a cease-fire in Gaza.

Canada signed on to two joint statements while Anand attended the U.N. conference, one of which suggested Canada was among countries giving “positive consideration” to recognizing Palestine.

The other statement, signed by Muslim countries like Qatar, Turkey, and those in the Arab League, said Hamas’s rule in Gaza must end and that the terrorist group must hand its weapons to the Palestinian Authority.

Palestinian territories are split and under separate authorities. The West Bank is ruled by Palestinian Authority President Abbas, while the Gaza Strip has been under Hamas control since 2007.

Around three quarters of U.N. member states recognize Palestinian statehood, while no G7 country currently does.

Israel and the United States didn’t attend the U.N. conference on a two-state solution, and both have criticized the latest moves by world powers to recognize Palestinian statehood.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the move “rewards terror,” while U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called it a “reckless decision” that “only serves Hamas propaganda and sets back peace.”

Israel has been conducting military operations in the Gaza Strip since Hamas conducted raids in Israel in October 2023, in which the terrorist group killed around 1,200 and kidnapped 251 individuals. The war has created a humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, with blame by different countries being laid on all sides.

Carney accused Israel last week of violating international law for withholding humanitarian assistance to Gaza. Meanwhile, Israel said available aid was not being distributed by the United Nations. The United Nations said Israel was not facilitating some deliveries, and pointed to the difficulties of making deliveries due to looting and violence.

More aid has been entering Gaza this week, including via air drops.

Carney was asked by reporters earlier this week whether Canada would recognize a Palestinian state but did not provide a direct answer. He said Hamas could have no role in the governance and that Ottawa would “take steps that advance those fundamental principles at the appropriate time.”

Carney following France and the UK on the Palestinian statehood issue is in line with his pivot to Europe that he started immediately after taking office in mid-March, amid uncertainty in the relationship with the United States.

The move comes as Canada is trying to secure a deal with the Trump administration ahead of the Aug. 1 deadline, when U.S. tariffs on Canada are expected to increase by 10 percentage points.