UK, Canada, Australia recognise Palestine

The United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia on Sunday announced their recognition of Palestinian statehood in an apparently coordinated move, increasing pressure on Israel.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the United Kingdom was formally recognising a Palestinian state, reviving hope for a two-state solution.

Amid growing horror in the Middle East, Starmer said the UK was acting to keep alive the possibility of peace.

He emphasized that recognition was not a reward for Hamas, as claimed by Israel, and reiterated that the UK’s call for a two-state solution meant Hamas could have no future.

Starmer also said the intolerable destruction in Gaza must end.

“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 said in a post on X.

Carney had announced in July that Canada intended to recognize the State of Palestine at the UN General Assembly. At the time, the plan drew condemnation from Israeli officials, who described it as a “reward to Hamas.”

Meanwhile, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said in a joint statement: “In doing so, Australia recognises the legitimate and long-held aspirations of the people of Palestine to a state of their own.”

Australia’s recognition is part of a “coordinated international effort to build new momentum for a two-state solution, starting with a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages taken in the atrocities of October 7, 2023,” the statement added.

France has also announced plans to recognise a Palestinian state at next week’s UN General Assembly, as international alarm grows over the ongoing war and the starvation crisis in Gaza.

Source: CNN Live Updates