In an unprecedented move, Arab countries like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt among other nations, have acknowledged Hamas’s disarmament and have asked for them to give up power in Gaza as well as hand over the administration to the Palestinian Authority.
As part of a collective agreement during the New York Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, which outlines political, humanitarian, and security steps on a timebound and irreversible basis, the declaration stated that, “In the context of ending the war in Gaza, Hamas must end its rule in Gaza and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority, with international engagement and support, in line with the objective of a sovereign and independent Palestinian State.”
While the UN General Assembly has yet to formally condemn the October 7 attacks that triggered Israel’s large-scale military response, the seven-page declaration issued by the other ministers explicitly does.
Addressing the high-level conference, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, “This conflict cannot be managed. It must be resolved; we must act before it is too late,” concerning the two-state solution of Israel and Palestine.
France, Britain, Canada, and other Western nations, including the European Union, have signed the declaration, which also comprises a plan for international forces to support Gaza’s stabilisation post-conflict
Canada’s decision comes amid a growing wave of support for Palestinian statehood from several Western nations.
On Tuesday, July 29, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the United Kingdom would recognise Palestine at the UN unless Israel allows humanitarian aid into Gaza, recommits to a two-state solution, and halts annexation activities in the occupied West Bank..
That same day, Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela announced that Malta would also support recognition during the September session.
On Wednesday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot confirmed that France—along with 14 other countries, including Australia and Canada—had called on the international community to follow suit.
On Thursday, July 24, French President Emmanuel Macron pledged that France would recognise Palestine during the upcoming UN gathering in New York.
While Palestine has been recognised as a non-member observer state at the United Nations since 2012, several major countries—including the United States, Australia, Germany, Italy, Japan, and South Korea—still do not officially recognise it as a state.
