Conservatives Say Ottawa’s Palestine State Recognition ‘Sends the Wrong Message’

Conservatives say Prime Minister Mark Carney’s decision to recognize Palestinian statehood at the U.N. this September “sends the wrong message.”

In a statement issued July 30 following Carney’s announcement, the Conservatives said that agreeing to a Palestinian state in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel tells extremists “that violence and terror are effective tools for achieving political objectives.”

Carney said July 30 that Canada will advocate for a Palestinian state this September after agreeing with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas that general elections will be held next year, and that a future Palestinian state would be de-militarized and not include Hamas.

“Hamas is not welcome in any way, shape, or form. So, of course, and again, one of the issues is not to give Hamas, in any way, shape, or form, a veto over a process that affects both the Israeli and Palestinian people,” Carney said.

Carney added that a path toward the security and peace of Israel must include a stable and peaceful Palestinian state, as well as an end to the “intolerable” humanitarian suffering in Gaza.

However, the Conservatives disputed Carney’s assertions, saying that “if the government recognizes the Palestinian state now, it is impossible that Hamas will not play a central role.”

While saying that “the suffering of Palestinians is real, and their lives are precious,” the Conservative statement says that “Hamas is to blame” and that “peace cannot come through appeasement.”

The Palestinian territories are divided between the West Bank, run by the Palestinian Authority, and the Gaza Strip, which has been under the control of Hamas since 2007.

The Conservative statement says that a decision to recognise a Palestinian state before Hamas is completely eliminated “legitimizes terrorism” and shows that “the Liberal government has turned its back on decades of Canadian support for Israel and has failed to stand up to rising anti-Semitism and extremism here at home.”

In his July 30 press conference on his upcoming decision to recognise Palestinian statehood, Carney spoke about rising anti-Semitism in Canada and said that his government will put forward legislation this fall to make it a criminal offence to obstruct people’s entrance to a place of worship, school, or community centre, as well as investing in the physical safety of “vulnerable communities and places of worship.”

Carney’s move to recognise Palestinian statehood comes in the wake of French President Emmanuel Macron saying France will also recognise a Palestinian state in September and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer saying his nation will do the same unless Israel agrees to a cease-fire in Gaza.