Canada joins several Western countries in announcing its intention to recognise a Palestinian state, according to an announcement made by the Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney yesterday amid the continuing Israeli atrocities unfolding in Gaza, reports Al Jazeera.
The Canadian Prime Minister said Hamas cannot play a role in the future of Palestine or take part in possible 2026 elections.
He explained that Ottawa had hoped that a two-state solution could be achieved through a negotiated peace process, but that approach was "no longer tenable".
"Canada intends to recognise the State of Palestine at the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2025," Carney told reporters.
The move follows a similar announcement by the United Kingdom and France earlier this month.
But it is not clear how such recognitions will impact Israel's ongoing war in Gaza and the expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank – the two territories that would form a Palestinian state.
Carney said the recognition is predicated on promises of reform from the Palestinian Authority and President Mahmoud Abbas, as well as a commitment to hold general elections in 2026.
He stressed that Hamas can play no role in the future of Palestine and would not be allowed to take part in future elections, a condition that some argue may taint any democratic process.
Last year, Canada announced that it would stop issuing new permits for weapons exports to Israel amid concerns over human rights violations.
But earlier this week, a coalition of advocacy groups released a report based on Israeli tax records, revealing new details indicating that weapons have continued to be sent to Israel.
The groups accused the Canadian government of constructing a "web of lies" to shield itself from criticism and called on Ottawa to cancel all existing arms export permits to Israel.
Since the start of the war in 2023, the Israeli military has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians in Gaza and flattened most of the territory.
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