Canada recognizes Palestinian statehood despite threats from the U.S.

Prime Minister Mark Carney formally announced that Canada will recognize a Palestinian state ahead of the United Nations General Assembly.

And Canada isn’t alone, the United Kingdom and Australia made the same declarations on Sunday, and more countries are expected to do the same in the coming days.

“Canada recognizes 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,” Carney said in a statement posted to social media on Sunday.

He also said it is imperative that Hamas release all hostages, fully disarm, and play no role in the future governance of Palestine.

“This is a big slap in the face, in a way, to U.S. foreign policy,” says Brock University’s Stefan Dolgert.

Dolgert also says the announcement by Carney and other world leaders is largely symbolic.

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“In terms of practical on the ground matters, it won’t change the humanitarian crisis in Gaza at the moment. It is a big symbolic shift. It’s important that Canada is doing this with the UK, Australia, and in the coming days, other countries like France, Portugal, Belgium will join in.”

Israel’s Prime Minister is vowing to fight the global push for recognition of a Palestinian state.

“We will need to fight at the UN and other arenas against the false propaganda directed at us and against the call for an establishment of a Palestinian state. That would endanger our existence and serve as an absurd reward for terrorism,” Netanyahu says.

In the meantime, displaced Palestinian families continued to flee southward from Gaza City this weekend after Israeli forces ordered residents to evacuate.

The offensive is the latest phase in Israel’s war in Gaza, which has killed more than 65,000 Palestinians, spread famine and displaced most of the population, since Hamas led attacks in Israel on Oct. 7 2023, killing 1,200 and taking 251 hostages.

A total of 48 of the hostages remain in Gaza, and around 20 are thought to be alive.

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