Canada to join France, Britain in supporting Palestinian statehood

OTTAWA: Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada plans to recognise a Palestinian state at the UN summit in September, following France and UK, setting up a clash with the US and Israel.

Carney said Canada's long-favoured approach of a two-state solution through a negotiated settlement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority was "no longer tenable." He said that process had been "gravely eroded" by Hamas terrorism and its rejection of Israel's right to exist, as well as recent Israeli actions such as accelerated settlement building and a Knesset vote calling for the annexation of the West Bank.

"The level of human suffering in Gaza is intolerable - and is rapidly deteriorating," Carney said in Ottawa on Wednesday.

Carney said the declaration relied upon commitments made by the Palestinian Authority, and that its president, Mahmoud Abbas, had committed to reforms and to holding elections in 2026 in which Hamas can play no part. He also said the Palestinian state must be demilitarised. Carney and Abbas spoke Wednesday, with the prime minister informing him that "Canada will increase its efforts to promote peace and stability in the region, and work closely with regional allies toward this goal," according to a statement from his office.

Visa Sanctions
On Thursday, the US imposed sanctions on Palestinian Authority officials and members of the Palestine Liberation Organization, accusing them of undermining peace efforts with Israel. The State Department said it would deny visas for travel to the US by those it was targeting, although it did not name any specific individuals.