KEY POINTS
- UK, Canada, Australia formally recognise State of Palestine.
- Move coordinated ahead of UN General Assembly session.
- Leaders cite two-state solution, self-determination, human rights.
- Starmer, Carney, Albanese stress recognition not linked to Hamas.
- Gaza health ministry reports 71 killed in latest Israeli strikes.
- Palestinian Authority President Abbas welcomes recognition.
NEW YORK: The United Kingdom, Canada and Australia on Sunday formally recognised the state of Palestine in a coordinated move aimed at reviving hopes for a two-state solution, even as Israeli strikes killed at least 71 more people in Gaza, health officials said.
Portugal was also to recognise Palestinian statehood later Sunday, as Israel came under huge international pressure over the ongoing military offensive in Gaza since October 2023.
“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,” UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a message on X.
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. pic.twitter.com/yrg6Lywc1s
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) September 21, 2025
Britain and Canada became the first G7 countries to take the step, with France and other nations expected to follow at the annual UN General Assembly which opens Monday in New York.
“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,” Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney wrote on X.
Today, Canada recognises the State of Palestine. pic.twitter.com/zhumVJRBfe
— Mark Carney (@MarkJCarney) September 21, 2025
It is a watershed moment for Palestinians and their decades-long ambitions for statehood, with the most powerful western nations having long argued it should only come as part of a negotiated peace deal with Israel.
But the move puts those countries at odds with the United States and Israel, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reacting angrily and vowing to oppose it at the UN talks.
A growing number of longtime allies have shifted positions, as Israel has intensified its Gaza offensive, killing more than 65,200 Palestinians since October 2023.
The Gaza Strip has suffered vast destruction, a spiralling death toll and a lack of food that has sparked a major humanitarian crisis since the start of the conflict which has drawn an international outcry.
The three countries issued near-simultaneous announcements ahead of the UN General Assembly in New York, where France, Belgium and Portugal are also set to join the recognition push.
The decision marks a sharp divergence from the United States, Israel’s closest ally, and adds to the growing diplomatic pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney accused Israel of pursuing “an unrelenting policy of settlement expansion in the West Bank” and of conducting a “sustained assault in Gaza” in violation of international law.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, announcing recognition alongside Foreign Minister Penny Wong, said the move reflected Canberra’s “longstanding commitment to a two-state solution” and the “legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people for a state of their own.”
Albanese stressed that “Hamas must have no role in Palestine” and said the recognition was coordinated with London and Ottawa.
In Britain, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a video statement that the “moment has now arrived” to act. “Today, to revive the hope of peace and a two-state solution, I state clearly, as prime minister of this great country, that the United Kingdom formally recognises the state of Palestine,” he said.
Starmer insisted that the move was “not a reward for Hamas” and repeated calls for the release of hostages held in Gaza.
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. pic.twitter.com/yrg6Lywc1s
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) September 21, 2025
The announcements came as the health ministry in Gaza reported 71 Palestinians killed and more than 300 wounded in Israeli strikes over the past 24 hours, including 37 deaths in Gaza City alone.
The UN has described Israel’s latest ground assault there as “cataclysmic,” forcing hundreds of thousands to flee.
Since October 2023, Israel’s military offensive in Gaza has killed 65,202 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities.
Much of the territory’s infrastructure lies in ruins, with the UN accusing Israel of committing genocide — an allegation Israel has rejected as “false and distorted.”
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the recognition as “an important step” when he met Starmer earlier this month in London.
The Palestinian Authority’s foreign minister, Varsen Aghabekian, told reporters in Ramallah on Sunday that “recognition of Palestine is a prerequisite for peace and not a by-product.”
Israel has not yet formally responded, but Netanyahu has repeatedly vowed there will be no Palestinian state under his leadership.
‘Courageous’ Move
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry has thanked the UK, Canada, and Australia for recognising Palestinian statehood, terming it a “courageous” move and “in line with international law”.
“The ministry sees these recognitions as acknowledgment of the just and legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, helping protect the two-state solution from threats arising from ongoing crimes of extermination, starvation, displacement and annexation committed by the occupation authorities against the Palestinian people,” said the ministry, adding that it looked forward to building stronger relations “at all levels” with the states that recognised it.
The foreign ministry also urged states that have not yet recognised Palestine – “foremost among them the United States – to take the initiative to do so”.
‘Special burden’
The UK government has come under increasing public pressure to act, with thousands rallying every month on the streets. A poll released by YouGov on Friday showed two-thirds of young Britons aged 18-25 supported Palestinian statehood.
Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy acknowledged at the UN in July that “Britain bears a special burden of responsibility to support the two-state solution”.
Over a century ago, the UK was pivotal in laying the groundwork for the creation of the state of Israel through the 1917 Balfour Declaration.
Three-quarters of UN members already recognise Palestinian statehood, with over 140 of the 193 having taken the step.
Starmer said in July that his Labour government intended to recognise a Palestinian State unless Israel took “substantive” steps, including reaching a ceasefire in Gaza, getting more aid into the territory and confirming it would not annex the West Bank.
Lammy told the BBC on Sunday that the Palestinian Authority — the civilian body that governs in areas of the West Bank — had been calling for the move for some time “and I think a lot of that is wrapped up in hope”.
“Will this feed children? No it won’t, that’s down to humanitarian aid. Will this free hostages? That must be down to a ceasefire.”
But he said it was an attempt to “hold out for” a two-state solution.
Palestinian foreign minister Varsen Aghabekian Shahin told AFP last week: “Recognition is not symbolic.”
“It sends a very clear message to the Israelis on their illusions on continuing their occupation forever,” she added.
Portugal said that it would also formally declare its recognition in New York on Sunday.
“By acting now, as the Portuguese government has decided, we’re keeping alive the possibility of having two states,” Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said.
What Recognising Palestinian State at UN Actually Means
If UN member states vote in favour of recognising Palestine as a state, it will be seen as a diplomatic and political milestone that could increase international pressure on Israel.
Recognition signals political support for Palestinian sovereignty and reinforces the push for a two-state solution, but it does not automatically create a fully functioning state on the ground.
Palestine currently holds the status of a “non-member observer state” at the UN, a designation granted in 2012. Recognition by the UN General Assembly could build momentum for Palestine to seek full UN membership, though that requires approval by the Security Council, where the United States has consistently used its veto on Palestine-related motions.
Recognition could also strengthen Palestine’s position in international institutions, such as the International Criminal Court (ICC), by bolstering its claims to statehood and legitimacy in pursuing cases related to occupation and war crimes. In addition, countries that recognise Palestine may establish or upgrade diplomatic missions and increase aid or political backing.
However, recognition at the UN does not change the realities on the ground. Israel maintains military control over the occupied West Bank, where it has continued to expand settlements on Palestinian land. It also enforces a blockade on Gaza, depriving the enclave of humanitarian aid.
