Canada plans to formally recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September 2025, Prime Minister Mark Carney made this significant announcement on Wednesday. This policy shift has sparked an angry response from US President Donald Trump and has been rejected by Israel. Carney emphasized that this move is essential to preserve hopes for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He described this long-standing Canadian goal as “being eroded before our eyes.”
“Canada intends to recognize the State of Palestine at the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2025,” Carney stated. With this decision, Canada, a G7 nation, becomes the third country to signal plans to recognize a Palestinian state, following France and the United Kingdom. Carney pointed out that the worsening suffering of civilians in Gaza leaves “no room for delay in coordinated international action to support peace.”
Reactions from Israel and the US
However, Israel condemned Canada’s announcement, labeling it part of a “distorted campaign of international pressure.” Meanwhile, Trump expressed concerns about potential trade negotiations with Canada. “Wow! Canada has just announced that it is backing statehood for Palestine,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. He added, “That will make it very hard for us to make a Trade Deal with them.”
When reporters asked if Canada might change its position before the UN meeting, Carney acknowledged a possible scenario but said it was “one that I can’t imagine.” He clarified that Canada’s intention relies on the Palestinian Authority’s commitment to necessary reforms. This authority, led by President Mahmoud Abbas, holds civil authority in parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Carney highlighted Abbas’s pledge to hold general elections in 2026, excluding Hamas, and to demilitarize the Palestinian state.
Aligning with France and the UK
With this announcement, Carney aligns Canada with France, where President Emmanuel Macron stated his country would formally recognize a Palestinian state during the UN meeting. This move marks France as the most powerful European nation to announce such a decision. The Israeli embassy in Ottawa criticized the recognition of a Palestinian state, arguing that it rewards Hamas’s actions on October 7, 2023.
The Palestinian Authority’s Abbas welcomed Canada’s announcement as a “historic” decision. France also expressed its commitment to work with Canada to revive the prospect of peace in the region. Canada’s plan goes further than British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s announcement. Starmer stated that the UK would formally recognize the State of Palestine in September unless Israel takes various “substantive steps,” including agreeing to a ceasefire in Gaza.
A Call for Lasting Peace
Carney reiterated Canada’s unwavering support for a two-state solution, built around a negotiated settlement between the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority. However, he lamented that this approach is no longer tenable due to “Hamas terrorism” and the group’s longstanding violent rejection of Israel’s right to exist. He also pointed to the expansion of Israeli settlements across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem as factors eroding the peace process.
The prime minister warned that the two-state solution is becoming increasingly remote. He cited a recent vote in Israel’s parliament calling for the annexation of the West Bank and Israel’s ongoing failure to prevent humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. Carney framed his decision as one aimed at safeguarding Israel’s future. “Any path to lasting peace for Israel also requires a viable and stable Palestinian state that recognizes Israel’s inalienable right to security and peace,” he concluded.
