UK, Australia, adn Canada Formally Recognize Palestinian State
LONDON/CANBERRA/OTTAWA – In a coordinated diplomatic move, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada have formally recognized the State of Palestine, signaling growing international concern over the stalled peace process and the escalating humanitarian crisis in gaza. The announcements, made Wednesday, represent a meaningful shift in policy for all three nations.
The UK’s decision ends decades of maintaining that recognition must come as part of a negotiated two-state solution. Though, the government has grown increasingly pessimistic about the viability of such a solution, particularly in light of the devastation in Gaza and continued Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank. More than 65,000 people have been killed in Gaza,and around 90% of the population has been displaced during nearly two years of conflict.
“This move has symbolic and historic weight, makes clear the UK’s concerns about the survival of a two-state solution, and is intended to keep that goal relevant and alive,” said Olivia O’Sullivan, Director of the UK in the World Programme at Chatham House.
The UK’s recognition also acknowledges the historical context of the Balfour Declaration of 1917, which promised “a national home for the Jewish people” but also stipulated that “nothing shall be done, nothing which may prejudice the civil and religious rights” of the Palestinian people.
Australia’s Foreign minister Penny Wong stated the recognition reflects the country’s support for a two-state solution, based on 1967 borders, and is in line with relevant UN resolutions. Canada’s Global Affairs Canada echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the importance of a thorough, just, and lasting peace.
The move comes after independent experts commissioned by the UN’s Human Rights Council concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza,a charge Israel has rejected as “distorted and false.” Israel’s continued expansion of settlements in the West Bank, considered illegal under international law, has also contributed to the growing international pressure.
Burcu Ozcelik,senior research fellow for Middle East Security at the Royal United Services Institute,noted the importance of the decisions by France and the UK,given their historical involvement in the region. However,she cautioned,”But without the United States coming on board with the idea of a Palestine,I think very little will change on the ground.”
Husam Zomlot, the Palestinian head of mission in the UK, welcomed the recognition as a correction of a colonial-era wrong. “The issue today is ending the denial of our existence that started 108 years ago, in 1917,” he said. “And I think today, the British people should celebrate a day when history is being corrected.”
