The UK, Canada, France and Portugal have all announced intentions to recognize Palestine as a state, but many are asking why now?
Last week, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France will formally recognise Palestine as a state during the United Nations General Assembly in September.
Then on Monday, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that he also intended to recognize Palestine as a state—if Israel does not agree to a ceasefire before September.
Highlights
- France, the UK, Canada, and Portugal intend to recognize Palestine at the UN General Assembly in September, marking a shift by major Western powers.
- Recognition is linked to the Gaza humanitarian crisis, erosion of the two-state solution, and demands for ceasefire and political reforms by Palestinian authorities.
- Israel and the U.S. strongly oppose recognition, criticizing it as rewarding Hamas terrorism and threatening Israel’s security.
Israel has criticized the UK, France and Canada for their intent to recognize Palestine
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Canada followed suit one day later on Wednesday, confirming the country would join France to recognize Palestine at the UN General Assembly.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said the intention was contingent on a series of requirements for the Palestinian Authority.
While Australia has not officially joined its Western allies in announcing intentions for the September summit, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has suggested he will do so at the right time.
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The UK, Canada and France all cited the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza—described as genocide and ethnic cleansing by human rights groups—as reasoning for their decision.
They also described the erosion of a two-state solution, the proposal for Israel and Palestine to co-exist peacefully as different states.
Israel and the U.S. have strongly criticized the potential recognitions, which are the first by G7 nations and major Western powers, arguing that they reward Hamas for terror.
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Approximately 147 UN member countries already recognize Palestine as a formal state, with official recognition in 2024 from Spain, Ireland, Norway, Slovenia, and Armenia.
This year, Mexico formally recognized Palestine.
The UK’s recognition is contingent on several prerequisites
While Starmer announced an intention to recognize Palestine, this will only happen if Israel does not commit to substantive measures.
These include:
- Ending the appalling situation in Gaza.
- Agreeing to a ceasefire.
- Committing to a long-term, sustainable peace, reviving the prospect of a two-state solution.
- Allowing the UN to restart the supply of aid.
- Making clear there will be no annexations in the West Bank.
“Our goal remains a safe and secure Israel, alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state,” Starmer said in a statement.
“But right now – that goal is under pressure like never before. I’ve always said we will recognise a Palestinian state as a contribution to a proper peace process, at the moment of maximum impact for the two-state Solution.
“With that solution now under threat, this is the moment to act.”
His statement was immediately rejected by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has made clear he does not support a two-state solution.
“Starmer rewards Hamas’s monstrous terrorism & punishes its victims,” Netanyahu said on social media.
“A jihadist state on Israel’s border TODAY will threaten Britain TOMORROW. Appeasement towards jihadist terrorists always fails. It will fail you too. It will not happen."
Starmer’s decision to formally recognise Palestine now, rather than continue the UK’s long-standing position of future recognition, marks a significant shift in foreign policy and reflects growing global impatience with Israel over its actions.
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It was also, in part, driven by urgent moral concerns, with Starmer himself referring to haunting images of starving babies and children, caused by Israel's blockade of Gaza.
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy also dismissed claims made by Israel that recognizing Palestine as a state was a threat to its security at a UN conference after Starmer’s announcement.
“There is no contradiction between support for Israel’s security and support for Palestinian statehood. Indeed, the opposite is true,” Lammy said, according to the BBC.
“Let me be clear: the Netanyahu government’s rejection of a two-state solution is wrong – it's wrong morally and it’s wrong strategically."
Canada has also set out conditions for formal recognition
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Carney set out his conditions for formal recognition in a statement, and those specifically relate to how Palestine will be governed.
He wants Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to fundamentally reform its governance and commit to much-needed reforms.
As well as this, Carney said it must hold general elections in 2026 in which Hamas can play no part, and demilitarize the Palestinian state.
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Carney’s reasoning for only now recognizing a Palestinian state is that prospects for a two-state solution have been “steadily and gravely eroded.”
Including by:
- The pervasive threat of Hamas terrorism to Israel and its people, culminating in the heinous terrorist attack of October 7, 2023, and Hamas’s longstanding violent rejection of Israel’s right to exist and a two-state solution.
- The accelerated settlement building across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, while settler violence against Palestinians has soared.
- Actions such as the E1 Settlement Plan and this month’s vote by the Knesset calling for the annexation of the West Bank.
- The ongoing failure by the Israeli government to prevent the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian disaster in Gaza, with impeded access to food and other essential humanitarian supplies.
“We reiterate that Hamas must immediately release all hostages taken in the horrific terrorist attack of October 7; that Hamas must disarm; and that Hamas must play no role in the future governance of Palestine,” Carney said.
“Canada will always steadfastly support Israel’s existence as an independent state in the Middle East living in peace and security. Any path to lasting peace for Israel also requires a viable and stable Palestinian state, and one that recognizes Israel’s inalienable right to security and peace.”
In response to Carney’s announcement, U.S. President Donald Trump said it would now be hard to secure a trade deal.
A higher tariff of 35% is now imposed on Canada, with Trump citing fentanyl imports as the reason.
France said it will recognize Palestine as a state in September
Image credits: Abdalhkem Abu Riash/Anadolu via Getty Images
Macron has said he will recognize Palestine as a state at the UN General Assembly in September after commitments from the Palestinian Authority.
He said there is no alternative to a two-state solution and the French people want peace in the Middle East, so it is a responsibility to prove that it is possible.
Macron’s decision came after the Palestinian Authority, for the first time, condemned Hamas’ October 7 terror attack on Israel and called for hostages to be released.
It also called for Hamas to be disarmed and to withdraw from the governance of Gaza.
Image credits: Abdalhkem Abu Riash/Anadolu via Getty Images
Macron said he had received commitments from the Palestinian Authority, which would:
- Fulfil all of its governance responsibilities in all Palestinian territories, including Gaza.
- Fundamentally reform and organize presidential and general elections in 2026 in order to enhance credibility and authority over a future Palestinian state.
- Ensure a Palestinian state is demilitarized.
“It is urgent to implement the only viable solution to fulfil the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people, end all forms of terrorism and violence, and enable Israel and all the region’s countries to live in peace and security,” Macron said.
Before Macron’s announcement, Amnesty International had called on France to “move from words to action” after accusing Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war.
Starvation of a civilian population as a method of warfare is a war crime.
Jean-Paul Chagnollaud, honorary president of the Institute for Research and Studies on the Mediterranean and the Middle East (iReMMO), told France 24 that it “created a sense that enough was enough.”
A forum representing families of hostages condemned Palestinian recognition
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, representing families of Israelis still held by Hamas, has strongly condemned intentions to recognize Palestine as a state while hostages are held captive.
“Recognizing a Palestinian state while 50 hostages remain trapped in Hamas tunnels amounts to rewarding terrorism,” it said in a statement on X.
“Such recognition is not a step toward peace, but rather a clear violation of international law and a dangerous moral and political failure that legitimizes horrific war crimes.”
“Recognition of a Palestinian state before the hostages are returned will be remembered throughout history as validating terrorism as a legitimate pathway to political goals,” it added.
British‑Israeli citizen Emily Damari, who was held hostage by Hamas and freed after 471 days in captivity, also criticised Starmer’s plan and accused him of moral failure.
“Prime Minister Starmer is not standing on the right side of history,” she wrote on social media.
“Had he been in power during World War II, would he have advocated recognition for Nazi control of occupied countries like Holland, France or Poland?
“This is not diplomacy – it is a moral failure. Shame on you, prime minister.
“As a dual British-Israeli citizen who survived 471 days in Hamas captivity, I am deeply saddened by Prime Minister Starmer’s decision to recognise Palestinian statehood.
“This move does not advance peace – it risks rewarding terror. It sends a dangerous message: that violence earns legitimacy.”
Human rights organizations and international experts say symbolic recognition without accompanying actions—such as sanctions, relief of the blockade, or pressure on Israel—is unlikely to change the situation on the ground.
The Elders, a coalition founded by Nelson Mandela, is among those to urge the international community to back a concrete two-state solution.
Human rights organizations say more must be done
They say that urgent action must be taken now “because the dehumanising of the Palestinians by the extremist government of Israel has reached a critical point.”
“The time for symbolic gestures has passed. The children of Gaza cannot wait for ‘the right time.’ Their lives matter. Justice delayed is justice denied,” it said.
Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, former UN Commissioner for Human Rights, spoke for The Elders at the UN High-Level Conference on a two-state solution in New York.
He said that leading figures in Israel’s far-right government are taking steps to articulate a vision of permanent occupation, territorial annexation, and forced displacement.
“The international community cannot counter this with carefully worded platitudes. What is needed is a clear, collective affirmation of the two-state solution—not as an abstraction, but with specific policy commitments: a full end to the occupation, borders based on the 4 June 1967 lines, and a sovereign, contiguous Palestinian state.
“Short of this, recognition of Palestine will remain symbolic and will do little to transform the lives of Palestinians on the ground and effect meaningful progress towards Palestinian self-determination.”
International Affairs think tank Chatham House has also urged the UK to recognize Palestine as a state now.
“Recognition is a purely symbolic step, but the value of that symbol has risen,” Director and Chief Executive Bronwen Maddox said.
“It is one of several measures the UK should take to help build international pressure on Israel to end the death, displacement and near-famine in Gaza.”
She added that “it is the right time to take this step.”