UK, Canada, Australia formally recognise Palestine as independent state

Keir Starmer, prime minister of the United Kingdom, hasannounced the country’s recognition of Palestine as a state. In a video shared on X, Starmer said the UK has joined over150 countries that recognise the Palestinian state, adding that the move is “apledge to the Palestinian and Israeli people that there can be a betterfuture”. “I know the strength of feeling that this conflictprovokes,” he said. “We have seen it on our streets, in our schools andconversations we have had with friends and family. It has created division,some have used it to stoke hatred and fear but that solves nothing. “Not only must we reject hate, we must redouble our effortsto combat hatred in all its forms.” Starmer said he has met British families of the hostagesheld by Hamas in Gaza and sees “the torture they endure each and every day andpain that strikes deep in the hearts” of people in Israel and the UK. “Our call for a genuine two-state solution is the exactopposite of [Hamas’s] hateful vision,” he said. “This solution is not a reward for Hamas because it meansHamas can have no future, no role in government, no role in security. We havealready prescribed and sanctioned Hamas and we will go further.” The announcement follows that of Canada and Australia onSunday. In a statement on X, Mark Carney, the Canadian primeminister, said his country recognises the State of Palestine and “offers ourpartnership in building the promise of a peaceful future for both the State ofPalestine and the State of Israel”. Anthony Albanese, Australia’s prime minister, declaredrecognition in a formal statement, effective September 21. “Effective today, Sunday the 21st of September 2025, theCommonwealth of Australia formally recognises the independent and sovereignState of Palestine,” the statement reads. “In doing so, Australia recognises the legitimate and longheld aspirations of the people of Palestine to a state of their own.” The seemingly coordinated recognition is aimed at buildingrenewed momentum for a two-state solution in the Middle East, including aceasefire in Gaza and the release of the hostages from the October 7, 2023,attacks by Hamas. Reacting to the decisions, Varsen Aghabekian Shahin,Palestinian foreign minister, described them as a significant step forward. “It is a move bringing us closer to sovereignty andindependence. It might not end the war tomorrow, but it’s a move forward, whichwe need to build on and amplify,” she said. Meanwhile, Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s security minister, saidUK, Canada and Australia’s decisions on Sunday were nothing but a “reward forjihadist Hamas – emboldened by its Muslim Brotherhood affiliated in the UK”. “Hamas leaders themselves openly admit: this recognition isa direct outcome, the ‘fruit’ for the 7 October massacre,” he said.

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