By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has tackled Britain, Australia, and Canada over the Sunday recognition of a Palestinian state, a move that came as a seismic shift in decades of Western foreign policy
In an angry reaction to the recognition which also puts those countries at odds with the United States, Netanyahu vowed to oppose it at the UN talks.
Calls for a Palestinian state “would endanger our existence and serve as an absurd reward for terrorism,” Netanyahu said Sunday.
Portugal was also to recognise Palestinian statehood later Sunday, as Israel came under huge international pressure over the war in Gaza, sparked almost two years ago by the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack.
“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.
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.
The recognition is seen as a watershed moment for Palestinians and their decades-long ambitions for statehood.
Powerful Western nations have long argued that it should only come as part of a negotiated peace deal with Israel.
A growing number of longtime allies have shifted positions, as Israel has intensified its Gaza offensive, vowing to eliminate the Hamas Palestinian militants.
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.
