NEW YORK: The recognition of the state of Palestine by some Western nations has been widely welcomed by the international community, marking a significant step toward renewed efforts for a just and lasting resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Turkiye’s presidential communications director Burhanettin Duran, praised the decisions by Britain, Canada and Australia, calling the move a concrete demonstration of commitment to international law and universal human values.
“We welcome with satisfaction the decisions of Britain, Canada and Australia to recognise Palestine as a state,” Duran said. “This step is a concrete indicator of the will to stand by international law and universal human values.”
“We invite the international community to follow this historic step for the establishment of peace and justice,” Duran stated.
Filistin’i devlet olarak tanıyan İngiltere, Kanada ve Avustralya’nın kararlarını memnuniyetle karşılıyoruz. Bu adım, uluslararası hukukun ve evrensel insanlık değerlerinin yanında durma iradesinin somut bir göstergesidir.
İsrail’in Gazze’de masum Filistin halkına yönelik…
— Burhanettin Duran (@burhanduran) September 21, 2025
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”.
An Important Step
Palestinian group Hamas says the latest Western move to recognise Palestinian statehood is “an important step in affirming the Palestinian people’s right to their land and holy sites, and in establishing their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital”.
However, the Palestinian group said recognition “must be accompanied by practical measures, leading to an immediate end” to the war in Gaza and opposing Israel’s settlement expansion projects in the occupied West Bank.
Hamas urged the international community, including the United Nations and its institutions, to “cease all forms of cooperation and coordination” with Israel, impose “punitive measures” against it, and work to bring its leaders to justice “for their crimes against humanity”.
Gaza Genocide
Former UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has welcomed the government’s recognition of the State of Palestine, adding that it was now time to also “recognise the genocide in Gaza” and the UK’s complicity in crimes against humanity.
“Next, the UK should recognise the genocide in Gaza, end its complicity in crimes against humanity, and stop arming Israel,” he said on X.
Well done to all those who have tirelessly campaigned for the recognition of Palestine — an inalienable right of the Palestinian people.
Next, the UK should recognise the genocide in Gaza, end its complicity in crimes against humanity, and stop arming Israel.
— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) September 21, 2025
Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said the recognition of a Palestinian state by various countries at the United Nations General Assembly will speed up the implementation of a two-state solution.
Israel’s Blue and White Party Slams
However, Israel’s Blue and White party leader, Benny Gantz, has strongly condemned any recognition of Palestinian statehood, following such moves by the UK, Canada and Australia.
“Recognising a Palestinian State after October 7 ultimately only emboldens Hamas, extends the war, distances the prospects of a hostage deal and sends a clear message of support to Iran and its proxies,” wrote Gantz in a post on X.
Gantz instead urged Western leaders to exert “maximum pressure” on Hamas to “relinquish power” and free the captives “before anything else”.
Recognising a Palestinian State after Oct. 7 ultimately only emboldens Hamas, extends the war, distances the prospects of a hostage deal and sends a clear message of support to Iran and its proxies.
If advancing peace & stability in the Middle East is what you seek, dear…
— בני גנץ – Benny Gantz (@gantzbe) 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.
