The United Nations Joining France and the United Kingdom in increasing pressure to put an end to the nearly 80-year Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Canada and Malta declared Wednesday that they will recognize the state of Palestine in September.
Following a Cabinet meeting, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney made the news. At the U.N. General Assembly discussion on a two-state solution to the conflict, which was postponed to a third day due to the large number of countries wishing to speak, Christopher Cutajar, permanent secretary at Malta’s Foreign Ministry, made the announcement on behalf of his nation earlier.
Malta, according to Cutajar, has long backed Palestinian self-determination and “as responsible actors, we have a duty to work to translate the concept of a two-state solution from theory into practice.”
“It is for this reason that the government of Malta has taken the principled decision to formally recognize the state of Palestine at the upcoming U.N. General Assembly in September,” he stated.
According to Carney, Canada will likewise make its declaration during the yearly summit of world leaders, which begins on September 23. According to him, the goal is based on the Palestinian Authority “holding general elections in 2026 in which Hamas can play no part, and to demilitarize the Palestinian state.” In a letter dated June 10, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas made such commitments; it is unclear what else Carney is looking for.
Malta says it wants a ‘lasting peace’ in Mideast
Robert Abela, the prime minister of Malta, had earlier declared on Facebook that his nation, a former British colony, has decided to recognize a Palestinian state as part of its efforts “for a lasting peace in the Middle East.”
The European Union member and Mediterranean island nation will recognize the state of Palestine alongside over 145 other states, including more than a dozen European countries.
Prior to this week’s conference, French President Emmanuel Macron declared that his nation would recognize the state of Palestine at the 193-member General Assembly, which begins on September 23.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer of the United Kingdom declared on Tuesday that if Israel commits to a ceasefire and a long-term peace process during the next eight weeks, Britain will not recognize the state of Palestine before the September summit.
The largest Western powers are France and Britain, and together with Canada, three of the Group of Seven major industrialized nations have now committed to this.
Israel and the United States, its closest ally, are boycotting the meeting because they are against a two-state solution.
In a harsh criticism of the roughly 125 nations attending the conference and the recent recognition of a Palestinian state, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, said on Tuesday that “there are those in the world who fight terrorists and extremist forces and then there are those who turn a blind eye to them or resort to appeasement.”
“While our hostages are languishing in Hamas terror tunnels in Gaza, these countries choose to engage in hollow statements instead of investing their efforts in their release,” Danon stated. “This is hypocrisy and a waste of time that legitimizes terrorism and distances any chance of regional progress.”
In response, Cutajar of Malta asserted that “recognition is not merely symbolic – it is a concrete step towards the realization of a just and lasting peace.”
Quick action is urged
At Tuesday’s U.N. summit, high-level officials called on Israel to make a commitment to a Palestinian state, expressed “unwavering support” for a two-state solution, and urged all nations that have not to recognize the state of Palestine to do so as soon as possible.
The “New York Declaration” is a seven-page document that lays out a staged plan to end the continuing war in Gaza and the Israel-Palestine conflict. The ultimate goal of the plan would be for Israel and Palestine to coexist peacefully as an autonomous, demilitarized Palestine and eventually become part of the larger Middle East.
In a separate one-page statement titled the “New York Call,” which was approved late Tuesday by fifteen Western countries, they recognized the state of Palestine as an essential step towards the two-state solution and “expressed or expressed the willingness or the positive consideration… to recognize the state of Palestine, and invite all countries that have not done so to join this call.”
It comprised nine countries, including Malta and Canada, that had not recognized the state of Palestine and six that had. Andorra, Australia, Finland, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Portugal, and San Marino are the seven countries that have yet to do so.
Following the 128th and final speaker, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the U.N., Abdulaziz Alwasil, said that the meeting would be suspended “until further notice” and that all 193 U.N. member states had received an outcome document. The agreement must be endorsed by states before the beginning of September.
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