ɫɫ��

The move comes as Israel faces mounting international condemnation over its military campaign in Gaza and the deepening humanitarian crisis, alongside renewed pressure for a two-state solution.

“For decades, it was hoped that this outcome would be achieved as part of a peace process built around a negotiated settlement between the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority,” Carney told a news conference Wednesday afternoon in Ottawa.

“Regrettably, this approach is no longer tenable. Prospects for a two-state solution have been steadily and gravely eroded.”

Citing the “pervasive” threat of Hamas terrorism to Israel, accelerating settler violence and Israeli settlement building in the West Bank, and Israel’s “ongoing failure” to prevent the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Carney said “preserving a two-state solution means standing with all people who choose peace over violence or terrorism, and it means honouring their innate desire for peaceful coexistence of Israeli and Palestinian states as the only road map for a secure and prosperous long-term future.”

Carney described the announcement as an intention, not a guarantee, but��said Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas had agreed to the conditions in a call with him.

Declaring Israel’s recent actions have been a “central factor in our decision,” Carney criticized those “in positions of influence” who oppose a two-state solution. He also said Hamas would be “not welcome in any way, shape or form” in the peace process, and��said the decision was made independently of the U.S.

Wednesday’s declaration was immediately slammed by Israel’s ambassador,��Iddo Moed, who said the Palestinian Authority’s record makes its commitments appear as a “thinly veiled strategy to maintain the status quo��with the sympathy and support of the international community.

“Let us be clear: Israel will not bow to the distorted campaign of international pressure against it. We will not sacrifice our very existence by permitting the imposition of a jihadist state on our ancestral homeland that seeks our annihilation,” Moed said in a statement.

Carney’s announcement came almost two years after the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel, in which more than��1,200 people��were killed and more than 250 taken hostage.

The resulting Israeli military campaign��has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians — Palestinian authorities don’t differentiate between combatant and civilian deaths — and has devastated Gaza, where more than two million people live.��

Canada and other Western nations have taken harder stances against Israel in recent months amid growing domestic pressure and international criticism of Israel for impeding the delivery of humanitarian aid and reports of mass starvation in Gaza.

With ceasefire talks stalled and some Israeli officials musing about annexing the occupied West Bank, Ottawa’s position��had been that��it would recognize Palestine when it would be��most conducive to a “lasting peace.”

While Canada’s declaration follows announcements by��France and the U.K., the conditions it outlined are unique. France has not outlined any conditions, signalling satisfaction with the Palestinian Authority’s commitment to reforms. The U.K. has said it would make the recognition unless a ceasefire in Gaza is reached and Israel commits to a two-state solution negotiation without annexation of the occupied West Bank.

Following a United Nations conference on the two-state solution,��Canada and 14 other nations, including some like Ireland and Spain who had already recognized Palestine, said in a declaration they have all “already recognized, have expressed or express the willingness or the positive consideration of our countries to recognize the State of Palestine,” and called on the rest of the world to join ahead of September’s UN General Assembly.

That statement, which included France and smaller European nations, as well as Australia and New Zealand, which have yet to recognize a Palestinian state, expressed support for reforms to the embattled Palestinian Authority, worldwide normalization of relations with Israel, the post-war reconstruction of Gaza and the disarmament and isolation of Hamas.

The U.S. boycotted the conference along with Israel, and dismissed France and Britain’s moves.��Echoing the harsh condemnation from Israel and its supporters, who have claimed this renewed push puts a ceasefire at risk, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio��slammed what he called a “reckless decision” by the European nations��that “only serves Hamas propaganda and sets back peace.”��U.S. President Donald Trump was more dismissive rather than angry when asked about the European nations’ push, saying French President Emmanuel��Macron’s statement “doesn’t carry weight,” and that “we have no view” on U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s.

Thomas��Juneau, a professor at the University of Ottawa who specializes in the Middle East,��told the Star the recognition of a Palestinian state would be a small step to legitimize the Palestinian Authority over Hamas, which is a necessity for peace.

While Canada is not a major player on its own, its action could matter when done among a coalition of other nations, he said. Juneau added that the risk in recognizing a Palestinian state now is that it could create high expectations for peace, which if unmet, could lead to another explosion of violence.