Canada will recognize a Palestinian state in September, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters on Wednesday.
“Canada has long been committed to a two-state solution, an independent, viable and sovereign Palestinian state living side by side with the State of Israel in peace and security,” said Carney, flanked by Foreign Minister Anita Anand.
The move follows similar announcements by France, which has said it will recognize a Palestinian state in September, and the UK, which has said that it will too if Israel does not meet conditions that include agreeing to a ceasefire in Gaza.
“Canada intends to recognize the state of Palestine at the 80th General Assembly of the United Nations,” Carney said. “We intend to do so because the Palestinian Authority has committed to lead much needed reform.”
Carney added that the Palestinian Authority’s President Mahmoud Abbas assured him that his administration will hold long-delayed elections in 2026 in which Hamas will “play no part.”
“(Abbas) has also committed to not militarizing the state of Palestine,” Carney added.
Canada’s decision comes at a time of renewed international attention on the war in Gaza, especially the ongoing hunger crisis caused by Israel’s blockade of humanitarian aid.
“Canada will always steadfastly support Israel’s existence as an independent state in the Middle East, living in peace and security,” Carney said. “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.”
Carney’s announcement came after the Canadian leader spoke to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer about Gaza on Tuesday, a fact Carney mentioned on Wednesday.
During their call, the two politicians discussed “the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian disaster in Gaza, as well as the United Kingdom’s statement on the recognition of a Palestinian state,” according to a readout from Carney’s office.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry quickly “rejected” Canada’s decision in a post on X, calling it a “reward to Hamas.”
“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 stated.
“Let us be clear: Israel will not bow to the distorted campaign of international pressure against it,” Israel’s Ambassador to Canada Iddo Moed said in an X post from the embassy. “We will not sacrifice our very existence by permitting the imposition of a jihadist state on our ancestral homeland that seeks our annihilation.”
Both Israel and the US previously criticized the move by France and the UK, saying it rewards Hamas. Last month, Canada joined the UK, Norway, New Zealand and Australia in sanctioning two far-right ministers of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
“We are steadfastly committed to the two-state solution which is the only way to guarantee security and dignity for Israelis and Palestinians and ensure long term stability in the region, but it is imperiled by extremist settler violence and settlement expansion,” a joint statement from the five countries said.
At the time, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the sanctions as unhelpful, saying they “do not advance US-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home, and end the war.”
This story and headline have been updated with additional developments.