UK, Canada and Australia formally recognise Palestine as a state

ISLAMABAD: Britain, Australia and Canada on Sunday recognised a Palestinian state in a seismic shift in decades of Western foreign policy, triggering swift Israeli anger.

Portugal was also to recognise Palestinian statehood later on Sunday, as Israel came under huge international pressure over the conflict in Gaza triggered almost two years ago by the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack.

“Today, to revive the hope of peace for the Palestinians and Israelis, and a two-state solution, the United Kingdom formally recognises the State of Palestine,” UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a message on X.

Britain and Canada became the first G7 countries to take the step, with France and other nations expected to follow at the annual UN General Assembly, which opens Monday in New York.

“Canada recognises the State of Palestine and offers our partnership in building the promise of a peaceful future for both the State of Palestine and the State of Israel,” Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney wrote on X.

Meanwhile, Australia announced it “formally recognises the independent and sovereign State of Palestine”, according to a post on X by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

“In doing so, Australia recognises the legitimate and long-held aspirations of the people of Palestine to a state of their own,” Albanese said in a statement as his country joined other major Western nations in increasing pressure on Israel to end the conflict in Gaza.

“Today’s act of recognition reflects Australia’s longstanding commitment to a two-state solution, which has always been the only path to enduring peace and security for the Israeli and the Palestinian peoples.”

It is a watershed moment for Palestinians and their decades-long ambitions for statehood, with the most powerful Western nations having long argued it should only come as part of a negotiated peace deal with Israel.

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said that Britain, Canada and Australia’s recognition of a Palestinian state was a necessary step toward lasting peace in the region.

Welcoming the move by the three countries, Abbas said, “It constitutes an important and necessary step toward achieving a just and lasting peace in accordance with international legitimacy,” according to a statement by his office.

Abbas also called for a ceasefire in Gaza.

“He emphasised that today’s priorities are achieving a ceasefire, allowing humanitarian aid to enter, securing the release of all hostages and prisoners, ensuring Israel’s complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, enabling the State of Palestine to assume full responsibilities, advancing recovery and reconstruction and halting settlement activity and settler violence, “the statement added.

A senior Hamas official hailed the three nations’ recognition of a Palestinian state, describing it as a victory for the rights of Palestinians.

“These developments represent a victory for Palestinian rights and the justice of our cause, and send a clear message: no matter how far the occupation goes in its crimes, it will never be able to erase our national rights,” Mahmud Mardawi told AFP.

But the move puts those countries at odds with the United States and Israel, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reacting angrily and vowing to oppose it at the UN talks.

Calls for a Palestinian state “would endanger our existence and serve as [an] absurd reward for terrorism,” Netanyahu said on Sunday.

A growing number of longtime allies have shifted positions, as Israel has intensified its Gaza offensive, vowing to eliminate Hamas. The Gaza Strip has suffered vast destruction, a spiralling death toll and a lack of food that has sparked a major humanitarian crisis since the start of the conflict, which has drawn an international outcry. Monitoring Desk