Canada Prime Minister Mark Carney on Wednesday said that the country plans to recognize a Palestinian state in September, becoming the third G7 nation after France and the UK to make such an announcement, stating that his goal was to preserve the possibility of a two-state solution.
Carney, while briefing the reporters, said that the move by Canada depends on the Palestinian Authority’s commitment of democratic reforms, which includes fundamental reform to its governance and holding general elections in 2026 without any representation by militant group Hamas.
Almost 150 countries out of the 193 member countries of the United Nations formally recognise a Palestinian state.
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.
My statement on Canada’s recognition of a Palestinian state: pic.twitter.com/VHW1ziQ9s0
— Mark Carney (@MarkJCarney) July 30, 2025
However, Canada’s stance on the recognition of a Palestinian state depended on the conclusion of the peace talks with Israel but PM Carney said the situation on the ground, including the starvation of citizens in Gaza, meant “the prospect of a Palestinian state is literally receding before our eyes.”
Carney said the decision by Canada was announced after he discussed the situation with the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who announced a similar move on Tuesday. “The level of human suffering in Gaza is intolerable and it is rapidly deteriorating,” Carney said on Wednesday.
Citing several reasons to recognize a Palestinian state by September, Carney said the expansion of Israeli footprints in the occupied West Bank, deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza, and the October 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas as the reason in a dramatic policy shift.
“Canada intends to recognize the State of Palestine at the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2025,” Carney said. He added “Canada condemns the fact that the Israeli government has allowed a catastrophe to unfold in Gaza.”
Carney said that he spoke with the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas about the decision earlier on Wednesday. Pressure to recognize Palestinian statehood was mounting on Canada’s administration after its close allies, France and the UK announced their support for the same.
