The coordinated recognition of the State of Palestine by the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia marks a significant diplomatic turning point in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, especially since these nations are influential Western powers and G7 members.

Canada led the announcement, followed closely by Australia and the UK, aligning their decisions with the recent overwhelming United Nations General Assembly resolution supporting a two-state solution, in which 142 nations, including India, voted in favour.

France is expected to follow suit, with President Emmanuel Macron preparing to formally declare recognition during a major conference in New York co-chaired with Saudi Arabia.

The recognitions are presented not as endorsements of Hamas but as affirmations of the Palestinian right to self-determination and the urgency of preserving the two-state framework amid escalating violence, settlement expansion, and shrinking chances for peace.

Israel’s response has been sharply hostile, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling the recognitions a “huge reward to terror” and reiterating his longstanding rejection of any Palestinian state “west of the Jordan.

” Netanyahu vowed to continue expanding Jewish settlements in the West Bank, framing recognition as a direct consequence of the October 7 Hamas attack, which remains a deep wound in Israeli politics.

His coalition partners and cabinet members are pushing towards outright annexation of key West Bank territories, particularly the Jordan Valley, indicating a hardline trajectory.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry echoed these sentiments, describing the recognitions as destabilising, harmful to peace efforts, and divorced from on-ground realities where the Palestinian Authority has allegedly failed to curb incitement and violence.

The ministry insisted statehood cannot precede a comprehensive peace deal and must not serve as what it describes as empty political symbolism aimed at Western domestic audiences.

On the Palestinian side, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the moves as historic, framing them as vital protection for the two-state solution and an important step toward peace.

The decisions drew particular praise for reaffirming Palestinian dignity and aspirations for sovereignty after decades of stalled diplomacy.

However, Israel-based NGOs—such as the Hostages and Missing Families Forum—condemned the recognitions, stressing that they disregarded the plight of the 48 Israeli hostages still held by Hamas, calling the act premature and inhumane without resolution of such humanitarian crises.

These criticisms expose broader debates about whether recognition bolsters peace negotiations or dangerously sidelines key security imperatives.

In the wider geopolitical context, the recognitions add weight to mounting international pressure on Israel amid rising civilian casualties in Gaza and frustrations with deadlocked negotiations.

With over 140 countries already recognising Palestinian statehood globally, the backing of Western powers such as the UK, Canada, and potentially France elevates the issue to a new diplomatic phase.

This shift underscores a growing divide between Israel’s staunch refusal of a Palestinian state under current conditions and the broader international community’s intent to secure one before peace prospects collapse entirely.

Whether this development leads to renewed negotiations or deeper regional confrontation will depend largely on Israel’s forthcoming response and the stance taken by the United States, which remains the most critical actor in shaping the trajectory of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Based On ANI Report