2 months ago
59
Canada joins France and Britain in taking similar steps, after months of increasing criticism of Israel by Prime Minister Mark Carney.
By Ian Austen
Reporting from Ottawa, where Prime Minister Mark Carney conducted his virtual cabinet meeting
July 30, 2025Updated 6:11 p.m. ET
Canada said on Wednesday that it would recognize Palestine as a state, if the Palestinian Authority commits to making certain changes including holding elections.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said he had discussed such changes in a call with the Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, and plans to formally recognize Palestine during the United Nations General Assembly in September.
The Canadian announcement follows similar ones by France and Britain, increasing the pressure on Israel to end the nearly two-year-old war in the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli foreign ministry condemned the decision in a social media post.
“The change in the position of the Canadian government at this time is a reward for Hamas and harms the efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and a framework for the release of the hostages,” the ministry said.
Mr. Carney said that the recognition was contingent on commitments by the Palestinian Authority to exclude Hamas from any government, to return hostages to Israel and to hold elections next year, the first since 2006.
After France said last week that it would recognize Palestinian statehood, Mr. Carney reiterated his party’s long-running endorsement of a two-state solution with “a free and viable Palestine living in peace and side-by-side in peace and security with Israel.”
At the United Nations on Monday, Anita Anand, Canada’s foreign minister, said that her country would give the Palestinian Authority 10 million Canadian dollars, about $7.2 million, to help lay the foundation for an independent state.
After France’s announcement, Britain said it would recognize Palestinian statehood, but with a caveat: it would hold off if Israel agreed to a cease-fire.
Mr. Carney made his announcement following a call with Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain on Tuesday in which the two leaders discussed “the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian disaster in Gaza, as well as the United Kingdom’s statement on the recognition of a Palestinian state,” Mr. Carney’s office said in a statement.
Before Mr. Carney spoke on Wednesday, Canada’s foreign affairs department issued a joint statement from 15 countries, including France, Australia and Ireland, calling on other nations to either recognize the state of Palestine or “express the willingness or the positive consideration” of its statehood before the meeting of the United Nations General Assembly in September.
Since he became prime minister in the spring, Mr. Carney, the leader of the Liberal Party, has ratcheted up Canada’s criticisms of Israel’s actions in Gaza and repeatedly condemned the humanitarian crisis there.
The decision to recognize Palestine as a state will almost certainly strain relations with the United States. Mr. Carney’s government is currently in trade talks with the Trump administration that, should they fail, could lead to increased tariffs as soon as Friday.
The move on Palestinian statehood will also likely be divisive domestically. During the recent Canadian election, the Conservative Party, campaigned on a platform that strongly endorsed the policies and actions of Israel in Gaza under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It also promised to deport foreign citizens who participated in pro-Palestine demonstrations.
Ian Austen reports on Canada for The Times based in Ottawa. He covers politics, culture and the people of Canada and has reported on the country for two decades. He can be reached at [email protected].
