Canada, Malta, and the UK Announce Plans to Recognize Palestine

Canada, Malta, and the United Kingdom have followed France in their plans to formally recognize Palestine as a state, joining the 147 other UN members who consider Palestine a state.

Earlier this week, French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed that France would recognize Palestine as a state at the upcoming UN General Assembly in September, joining 147 other United Nations member countries that currently recognize the region. This was seen as a major move across the world, with speculation arising over whether other countries would follow suit, and they did.

On Tuesday, the United Kingdom announced that they would also recognize Palestine as a state in September unless Israel agreed on a ceasefire before the assembly, increasing pressure on the Middle Eastern country to find a peaceful solution to the war in Gaza.

Then, just one day later, Canada confirmed that they would also officially recognize Palestine in September, expressing their concern that the situation in Gaza had simply become too terrible to bear. Over 60,000 people have been killed, with more dying every day due to starvation, thirst, and consistent Israeli bombings and attacks. Malta quickly did the same, making similar statements to ramp up pressure on Israel to agree on a ceasefire and establish a two-state solution.

Furthermore, a document titled the "New York Declaration" was passed at a UN meeting in New York earlier this week, detailing a plan to relieve the conflict in the Middle East and bring Palestine and Israel back to a peaceful state. Another document, the "New York Call," was signed by 15 countries on Tuesday, expressing their desires to recognize Palestine and invite others to join them in their efforts. The signatories included Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Slovenia, and Spain, who have already recognized Palestine; Canada, France, and Malta, who have announced their plans to recognize Palestine; and Andorra, Australia, Finland, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Portugal, and Sam Marino, who have not yet recognized Palestine as a state.

However, the announcements were met with strong criticism from Israel, who claimed that the four countries are promoting terrorism and worsening efforts to rescue the hostages that remain in the hands of Hamas. They also strongly reject any sort of two-state solution, as they have attempted to maintain control over the entire area that is considered to be Palestine.

Additionally, United States President Donald Trump also responded to the statement on social media, making comments suggesting that Canada's decision to recognize Palestine may impact trade talks between the two countries. The US has always strongly stood against Palestine due to their strong relationship with Israel, and they could become the only permanent member of the UN Security Council to not recognize Palestine if both France and the UK continue with the move.

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