These key US allies are set to recognize Palestinian state
About three-quarters of the countries in the United Nations recognize the Palestinian state, which holds a “Permanent Observer State” status within the intergovernmental body — allowing it to be part of the proceedings but unable to vote on resolutions.
Three more countries — close U.S. allies — have joined the tally in the last week.
Last week, France said that it would recognize Palestinian statehood, with President Emmanuel Macron stating the move is part of a commitment to a “just and lasting peace” in the Middle East.
France became the first nation within the Group of Seven (G7) to do so.
The announcement came shortly after negotiations over a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas broke down, with Israel and the U.S. pulling their negotiators from Qatar. President Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff pinned the blame on Hamas and argued that the officials will consider “alternative options to bring the hostages home and try to create a more stable environment for the people of Gaza.”
Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon said last week that “neither international conferences disconnected from reality nor unilateral statements at the UN will lead to peace.”
Then this week, as the international outrage over the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip has continued, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the United Kingdom was ready to recognize Palestine’s statehood if Israel does not manage to take action to end the war with Hamas, a conflict that has been ongoing since the Palestinian militant group’s terrorist attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Starmer set the deadline for the U.N.’s General Assembly in September, calling for an uptick in aid being delivered into the war-torn enclave and for Hamas to release the remaining hostages.
“I’ve always said that we will recognize a Palestinian state as a contribution to a proper peace process at the moment of maximum impact for the two-state solution, with that solution now under threat, this is the moment to act,” Starmer said.
Canada became the third close U.S. ally this week to announce it would recognize Palestinian statehood.
Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney said Ottawa would provide recognition of the state in September at the U.N.’s General Assembly, a decision that would entail the Palestinian Authority “holding general elections in 2026 in which Hamas can play no part, and to demilitarize the Palestinian state.”
Trump said on Truth Social that Canada’s decision would make it hard for Washington to reach a trade agreement with Ottawa.
On Monday, the president said the U.S. would set up “food centers” in Gaza as food distribution in the enclave has come under intense scrutiny amid the deaths of Palestinians in Gaza from starvation.
Trump also acknowledged there is starvation among the roughly 2.1 million people in Gaza, sharing a different view from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said no one is starving in the enclave.
The White House said Thursday that Witkoff and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee would travel Friday to Gaza to “inspect the current distribution sites and secure a plan to deliver more food and meet with local Gazans to hear first-hand about this dire situation on the ground.”