UK, Canada, Australia, Among Nations Recognizing Palestinian Statehood

On Sunday, Britain, Australia, and Canada joined 145 other nations in formally recognizing Palestinian statehood.

According to The New York Times, the statements came ahead of the annual United Nations General Assembly in New York. France announced its intention to recognize Palestinian statehood in July and pledged to follow through on those intentions during the U.N. meeting. All the aforementioned countries are allies of Israel, only exacerbating the country’s diplomatic isolation in its war against Palestine. 

On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas launched coordinated attacks in Israel, including at the Nova Music Festival. The attacks killed an estimated 1,195 Israelis, with another 200 being taken hostage by Hamas. The events of Oct. 7 are undoubtedly a tragedy, but a tragedy does not justify atrocity. In the nearly two years since Israel began its military assault on Palestine, more and more images have come out showing the relentless devastation of Gaza.

It’s almost impossible to have any degree of geopolitical awareness and not encounter videos showing Palestinian parents grieving over their kids and malnourished children grieving over their parents. The spread of these images has soured international attitudes toward Israel and its handling of the Palestinian conflict. The current official death toll in Palestine is 64,718 Palestinians killed in Gaza, with 163,859 injured. Thousands more are believed to be dead, with their bodies buried in the rubble. 

The recognition of a Palestinian state comes after an independent commission attached to the U.N.’s Human Rights Council released a report accusing Israel of committing genocide in Palestine. On Monday, the U.N. announced that famine is worsening in Palestine due to the ongoing conflict with Israel. 

“The hope for a two-state solution is fading, but we cannot let that light go out,” Britain’s prime minister, Keir Starmer, said in a video statement announcing the recognition of a Palestinian state. “Today, to revive the hope of peace and a two-state solution, I state clearly as prime minister of this great country that the United Kingdom formally recognizes the State of Palestine.” Starmer was critical of “Israel’s relentless and increasing bombardment of Gaza,” adding that the “starvation and devastation are utterly intolerable.”

Starmer made the announcement shortly after President Donald Trump concluded his state visit to the U.K. last week. Despite U.S. public opinion of Israel’s military action falling to new lows due to the images of famine and death coming out of Palestine, President Trump has remained a staunch ally of Israel.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney accused the Israeli government of “working methodically to prevent the prospect of a Palestinian state from ever being established,” in his statement recognizing Palestinian statehood. Anthony Albanese, Australia’s prime minister, said a two-state solution has “always been the only path to enduring peace and security for the Israeli and the Palestinian peoples,” in his statement. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a statement critical of Palestine being recognized as a state. “I have a clear message to those leaders recognizing a Palestinian state after the horrific massacre of October 7th: you are giving a massive prize to terror,” Netanyahu’s statement read.

In his video announcing the recognition of Palestinian statehood, Starmer called Hamas a “brutal terror organization” and added that Hamas can “have no future, no role in government, no role in security,” in a Palestinian state. 

While the recognition of a Palestinian state is intended to put pressure on Israel to wind down its military operations in Gaza, Netanyahu’s statement implies that the recognition of Palestinian statehood has only emboldened Israel to increase its aggression. “The response to the latest attempt to force a terror state upon us in the heart of our land will be given after my return from the United States. Wait for it,” Netanyahu wrote.

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