Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on September 21, 2025
3 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleUK, Canada, and Australia recognize the Palestinian state, aiming for peace amid the Gaza conflict, despite strong Israeli opposition.
(Reuters) -Britain, Canada and Australia recognised a Palestinian state on Sunday in a coordinated move borne out of frustration over the Gaza war and intended to promote a two-state solution, angering Israel.
Other countries, including France, are expected to follow suit in the coming days. There was no immediate response from Israel's closest ally, the United States, which has said it has no plans at this juncture to recognise a Palestinian state.
BRITISH PRIME MINISTER KEIR STARMER
"Today, to revive the hope of peace for the Palestinians and Israelis, and a two-state solution, the United Kingdom formally recognises the State of Palestine.
"The man-made humanitarian crisis in Gaza reaches new depths. The Israeli government's relentless and increasing bombardment of Gaza, the offensive of recent weeks, the starvation and devastation are utterly intolerable."
CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER MARK CARNEY
"Canada recognises the State of Palestine and offers our partnership in building the promise of a peaceful future for both the State of Palestine and the State of Israel."
ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU
"I have a clear message to those leaders who recognize a Palestinian state after the horrific massacre of October 7: You are giving a huge reward to terrorism. And I have another message for you: It will not happen. A Palestinian state will not be established west of the Jordan River."
PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT MAHMOUD ABBAS
Abbas welcomed the move, saying it would allow the "State of Palestine to live side by side with the State of Israel in security, peace, and good neighborliness".
ISRAEL'S U.N. AMBASSADOR DANNY DANON
"Empty declarations that ignore the reality and the sinister forces of our region do not advance anything. No declaration of any country will change the simple fact that before everything the hostages must be returned and that Hamas must be defeated. The defeat of Hamas and the end of the war will not be achieved by performative speeches at the UN, but by the sustained pressure and activities on the ground by the State of Israel."
ISRAELI FINANCE MINISTER BAZALEL SMOTRICH
"The days when Britain and other countries would determine our future are over, the mandate is over, and the only answer to the anti-Israeli move is sovereignty over the homeland of the Jewish people in Judea and Samaria and removing the foolish idea of a Palestinian state from the agenda forever."
ISRAELI OPPOSITION LEADER YAIR LAPID
Lapid said in a post on X that the "unilateral" recognition of a Palestinian state was a reward for terrorism, but also put some of the blame on the Netanyahu government.
"A functioning Israeli government could have prevented this through professional diplomatic dialogue and proper diplomacy. The government that brought upon us the worst security disaster in our history is now also bringing upon us the most severe diplomatic crisis," he said.
BRITISH OPPOSITION LEADER KEMI BADENOCH
"We will all rue the day this decision was made," Badenoch said on X. "Rewarding terrorism with no conditions whatsoever put in place for Hamas. It leaves hostages languishing in Gaza and does nothing to stop the suffering of innocent people caught in this war."
(Complied by Christina FincherEditing by Gareth Jones)
A Palestinian state refers to a sovereign state that represents the Palestinian people, seeking recognition and independence, particularly in the context of the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
A two-state solution is a proposed resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, envisioning an independent State of Palestine alongside the State of Israel.
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