Netanyahu Rejects Palestinian State as UK, Canada, Australia Recognise Palestine

The governments of the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia on Sunday formally recognised the State of Palestine, fulfilling earlier warnings that recognition would follow if Israel failed to commit to ending the Gaza war and advancing a two-state solution. Portugal is expected to follow next.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu swiftly rejected the move, declaring: “There will be no Palestinian state.” In a message to the three governments, Netanyahu warned: “You are granting a huge reward to terror… No Palestinian state will be established west of the Jordan River. Recognition will endanger our existence and serve as an absurd reward for terrorism.”

The decision came just as the United Nations formally declared a famine in Gaza, amid growing global outcry over the humanitarian crisis. With the latest recognitions, around 75% of UN member states now acknowledge Palestinian statehood.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer defended the move, saying on X: “In the face of the growing horror in the Middle East, we are acting to keep alive the possibility of peace and a two-state solution.”

Starmer stressed that recognition was “not a reward for Hamas”, adding: “Our call for a genuine two-state solution is the exact opposite of Hamas’s hateful vision. The move is a pledge to the Palestinian and Israeli people that there can be a better future. The starvation and devastation in Gaza are utterly intolerable. The death and destruction horrifies all of us.”

But the move has drawn fierce backlash. UK Conservative Party Leader, Kemi Badenoch, labelled the decision “absolutely disastrous,” accusing Starmer of “rewarding terrorism with no conditions whatsoever.” She argued that the recognition ignored the plight of hostages still held in Gaza, while serving as a political tool to appease Labour’s left wing.

Badenoch added: “They cannot fix the NHS, so they push assisted suicide. They cannot create jobs for young people, so they give them votes at 16. They cannot sort out immigration, but they will recognise Palestine instead.”

Israel and the United States have both argued that recognition amounts to a diplomatic gift to Hamas, citing the October 7, 2023 attacks in which 1,200 Israelis were killed and 251 taken hostage.

Meanwhile, the situation on the ground in Gaza continues to deteriorate. Hamas-run health authorities reported 71 killed and 304 injured in Israeli strikes in the past 24 hours. A UN official described Israel’s latest ground operation in Gaza City as “cataclysmic,” forcing hundreds of thousands to flee.

In the West Bank, Palestinians welcomed the recognitions, though fears remain over possible Israeli annexation moves.

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