Britain, Canada, Australia, and Portugal confirmed they now formally recognize Palestinian statehood, piling pressure on Israel to ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and putting these U.S. allies in opposition to Dear Leader. Seems like they've given up on American leadership! Via the New York Times:
The coordinated statements came on the eve of the annual gathering of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Later Sunday, Portugal also confirmed its recognition of Palestine.
France, which first announced its intention to do so in July, has pledged to vote for recognition of a Palestinian state at the U.N. this week, joining some 150 members of the body who have already done so.
The concerted action, across three continents, will deepen the diplomatic isolation of Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. But so far, moves to recognize a Palestinian state have not curbed Israel’s military campaign against Hamas in Gaza, which has killed tens of thousands of people and left much of the enclave in ruins.
Nor are they likely to alter the situation on the ground. While recognition is a symbolic act of support for Palestinian self-determination, the prospect of a viable Palestinian state — on territory now occupied or blockaded by the Israeli military — is in many ways more elusive than it has been in decades.
“The hope for a two-state solution is fading, but we cannot let that light go out,” Britain’s prime minister, Keir Starmer, said in a video statement. “Today, to revive the hope of peace and a two-state solution, I state clearly as prime minister of this great country that the United Kingdom formally recognizes the State of Palestine.”
Canada and Australia confirmed their decisions in statements released just before Mr. Starmer’s. Portugal’s foreign minister, Paulo Rangel, announced the country’s decision on Sunday afternoon from New York, saying a two-state solution was the “only path to a just and lasting peace.”
