Britain, Canada, France formally recognise the State of Palestine
發佈日期: 2025-09-22 00:15
TVB News
Britain, Canada and Australia on Sunday formally recognised the State of Palestine. This despite opposition from Israel and the United States.
The Israeli Prime Minister has vowed to fight the move.
Though largely a symbolic move, Starmer said it is part of a process to bring about an end to the conflict in Gaza and help promote a lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
Britain arguably laid the foundations for the creation of Israel in 1917 when it controlled what was then known as Palestine.
And more than a century after the infamous Balfour Declaration that gave the land away, the British government is now officially recognising the state of Palestine.
Starmer said: "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. That means a safe and secure Israel, alongside a viable Palestinian state. At the moment, we have neither. Ordinary people - Israeli and Palestinian - deserve to live in peace, to try to rebuild their lives free from violence and suffering. That's what the British people desperately want to see."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday he will fight UK's recognition of Palestine, calling it a reward for terrorism and the Israeli government describing it as "absurd."
He said he will travel to the United Nations this week to speak at the U.N. General Assembly and will later meet with U.S. President Donald Trump.
With Gaza turned to rubble and the people facing famine, the Trump administration is against Palestinian recognition, insisting that all hostages must be freed from Gaza immediately and that Hamas lays down their arms.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney also announced on Sunday that the country has now recognised the state of Palestine.
Canada offers partnership in building the promise of a peaceful future for both the State of Palestine and the State of Israel," Carney said in a statement.
Britain and Canada were joined by Australia in recognising Palestine. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a statement that it was part of an effort to revive momentum for a two-state solution that starts with a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages.
The statement added that Hamas must have no role in a future Palestine state.
One analyst said that the move comes at a crucial time, when Israel appears to be driving Palestinians out of Gaza and the West Bank in their quest for a Greater Israel.
Dr. Burcu Ozcelik, senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, said: "There is no ceasefire deal on the horizon. There is no real pathway to the release of the Israeli hostages. So is this the right moment? I think is a valid question to be asking on the point of recognition. The second is what will this change on the ground in the everyday suffering of Palestinians in Gaza? I think not very much, unfortunately."
"This glimmer of hope is important. It returns to this fear, this deep concern about the forceful displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, which could be irreversible if they had no right to return to their homeland. So this declaration of recognition of Palestinian statehood, I think, is meant to deter the possibility that Palestinians can be forcefully moved."
