UK, Australia, Canada recognise state of Palestine ahead of UNGA session

In a coordinated diplomatic move ahead of the highstakes United Nations General Assembly UNGA session this week three major Western countries the United Kingdom Australia and Canada on Sunday formally recognised the State of Palestine reviving global debate over the longstanding twostate solutionBritish Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced the UKrsquos recognition of Palestine in a statement on social medialdquoToday to revive the hope of peace for the Palestinians and Israelis and a twostate solution the United Kingdom formally recognises the State of Palestinerdquo UK PM Keir Starmer said on X signalling a shift in Londonrsquos Middle East policyCanadian Prime Minister Mark Carney echoed the same sentiment releasing a detailed statement from OttawaldquoSince 1947 Canada has supported a twostate solution ndash Palestine and Israel living side by side in peace and security Today Canada recognises the State of Palestine and offers our partnership in building the promise of lasting peace in the Middle Eastrdquo the Canadian PM said on XThe current Israeli government is working methodically to prevent the prospect of a Palestinian state from ever being established It has pursued an unrelenting policy of settlement expansion in the West Bank which is illegal under international law Its sustained assault in Gaza has killed tens of thousands of civilians displaced well over one million people and caused a devastating and preventable famine in violation of international law It is now the avowed policy of the current Israeli government that lsquothere will be no Palestinian state he said in his press statementldquoIt is in this context that 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 Israelrdquo he addedAustralia also joined the coordinated recognition with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong issuing a joint statement They declared Australiarsquos formal recognition of Palestine as an ldquoindependent and sovereign staterdquo while reiterating Canberrarsquos commitment to a twostate solutionThe statement highlighted that Hamas must have ldquono role in Palestinerdquo and that the Palestinian Authority has committed to reforms including democratic elections governance changes and recognition of Israelrsquos right to existThe recognition by the three nations marks one of the most significant shifts in Western policy towards the IsraeliPalestinian conflict in decades It also aligns them with many countries in the Arab world and the Global South which have long supported Palestinian statehoodAs the UNGA convenes in New York this week the coordinated announcements are expected to add pressure on other nations including the United States and European Union members to reassess their positions on Palestinian statehoodThe Palestinian government welcomed the announcementIn a statement shared on X Palestines Mission to the United Nations said The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates welcomes and expresses gratitude to the countries that have recognized the State of Palestine namely the United Kingdom Canada and Australia and considers these courageous decisions to be in line with international law and international legitimacy resolutionsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever