Canada has announced it will recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly in September, becoming the third G7 nation to commit to the move after France and the United Kingdom. Prime Minister Mark Carney said the recognition would depend on governance reforms by the Palestinian Authority and a commitment to hold elections that exclude Hamas. The announcement comes amid intensifying humanitarian conditions in Gaza and ongoing Israeli settlement activity in the occupied West Bank.
“The level of human suffering in Gaza is intolerable and it is rapidly deteriorating,” PM Carney told reporters in Ottawa. “The prospect of a Palestinian state is being eroded before our eyes.”
PM Carney added that Canada’s long-standing support for a two-state solution had relied on negotiations, but said that approach “is no longer tenable.”
The planned recognition follows a wave of international moves pressuring Israel to agree to a ceasefire and support the establishment of a Palestinian state. The UK said it would also proceed with recognition in September unless Israel meets specific conditions. France unveiled its plan earlier this month.
PM Carney said he had spoken with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas before making the announcement public.
The Palestinian Authority, which governs parts of the West Bank through the Fatah party, has not held elections since 2006. Gaza remains under the control of Hamas, a group labeled a terrorist organization by Canada, the US, and the EU.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry rejected the decision. In a statement posted on X, the ministry accused Canada of “rewarding Hamas” and said the move undermines efforts to secure a ceasefire and free remaining hostages in Gaza.
The reaction from Washington was equally critical. US President Donald Trump, speaking from the White House, warned the decision could derail trade relations.
“Wow! Canada has just announced that it is backing statehood for Palestine. That will make it very hard for us to make a Trade Deal with them,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Canada remains one of the United States’ largest trading partners. New tariffs are expected to take effect Friday, and the White House is in talks with key allies ahead of the deadline.
Canada’s opposition party also condemned the move. “Recognizing a Palestinian state in the aftermath of the October 7 terrorist atrocities sends the wrong message to the world,” the Conservatives said in a statement.
Despite the political fallout, the shift in Ottawa has drawn praise from pro-Palestinian voices and former Canadian diplomats. A letter signed by nearly 200 former ambassadors and foreign service officials urged Carney to act, citing mass displacement, food shortages, and attacks by Israeli settlers in the West Bank.
“Canada’s values are being abandoned daily,” the letter stated.
The UN says over 60,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its military response to the Hamas-led October 7 attack, which left 1,200 Israelis dead and 251 taken hostage. The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza also reported that 154 Palestinians, including 89 children, have died from malnutrition.
Access to news in Gaza is restricted, but reactions from residents have emerged online. Imad Abu Shawish, a journalist in Gaza, wrote on Facebook: “Another slap to Israel this time from Canada. Every recognition brings us a step closer to our dream of an independent state.”
If implemented, Canada’s move will leave the United States as the only permanent member of the UN Security Council that does not formally recognize a Palestinian state.
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