‘Work is ongoing’: Anand on Canada’s recognition of a Palestinian state at the United Nations

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand says, 'the viability of a two-state solution is indeed eroding before our very eyes' when it comes to Israel-Palestine.

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand says Canada’s recognition of a Palestinian state is just a step toward peace in the Middle East, and that “work is ongoing.”

“Will that be achieved tomorrow? No,” Anand said of a two-state solution. “Will that be achieved in the medium-to-long term? That is what we are working towards.”

“I’d like to stress that our foreign policy, especially in terms of recognition, is aimed at achieving peace, and is directed at that of Israel, not the Israeli people,” Anand also said in an interview on CTV Power Play with Vassy Kapelos on Monday, from the United Nations.

Prime Minister Mark Carney announced in July that Canada will recognize the state of Palestine at the next session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), which kicked off Sunday and runs until Wednesday.

At the time, Carney laid out a series of conditions for the Palestinian Authority, saying Canada’s recognition of statehood is predicated on the terms, including governance reforms, holding general elections in 2026 “in which Hamas can play no part,” and a commitment to demilitarization.

In a statement on Sunday, Carney wrote that the possibility of a two-state solution achieved though a negotiated settlement “has been steadily and gravely eroded.”

Carney points both to Hamas as having “terrorized the people of Israel and oppressed the people of Gaza, wreaking horrific suffering,” and to the Israeli government for “working methodically to prevent the prospect of a Palestinian state from ever being established.”

“While Canada is under no illusions that this recognition is a panacea, this recognition is firmly aligned with the principles of self-determination and fundamental human rights reflected in the United Nations Charter, and the consistent policy of Canada for generations,” the statement reads.

Several Canadian allies, including the U.K., Australia, and France, have also recognized the Palestinian state. The number of countries pledging to do the same has exceeded 150.

The United States, however, has refused to do so, with some members of U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration condemning the move.

During a briefing on Monday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump “has been very clear he disagrees with this decision.”

“He feels this does not do anything to release the hostages, which is the primary goal right now in Gaza, does nothing to end this conflict and bring this war to a close,” Leavitt said. “And frankly, he believes it’s a reward to Hamas. So, he believes these decisions are just more talk and not enough action from some of our friends and allies.”

Conservatives say move ‘rewards terrorists’

A statement from the Conservative party on Sunday called the move a recognition of “the Hamas State,” and said it’s an “effort to distract from (Carney’s) record of rampant crime, costs, debt, immigration and job loss.”

The statement also says recognizing a Palestinian state “reward(s) terrorists.”

Israeli embassy ‘disappointed’

A spokesperson for the Israeli embassy in Canada, meanwhile, wrote in a statement Monday that it’s “deeply disappointed by Canada’s decision to acknowledge a Palestinian state in the current context.”

The embassy is calling on the Carney government to reverse the decision in favour of an agreement “developed through direct negotiation and mutual recognition.”

“This decision does not bring home the hostages, it does not free Palestinians from the torture and horrendous oppression perpetrated against them by Hamas, nor does it guarantee a peaceful future for Israelis and Palestinians — it only rewards Hamas and its sympathizers,” the embassy spokesperson wrote.

Former ambassador says ‘positive step’

In an interview on CTV’s Your Morning on Monday, former Canadian ambassador to Israel Jon Allen, however, called the move a “positive step.”

“(Carney) and other world leaders were very concerned that steps being taken by Israel to expand settlements, settler violence, were threatening the idea of a two-state solution, which is the solution that all Western countries believe is the only way for Israel and Palestine to live in peace and security,” Allen said.

“And this is sending a message of hope to the Palestinians, who are a national people, and it’s indicating that they deserve self-determination.”

Allen said the impact of some Western countries recognizing a Palestinian state will not be immediate, and that “this alone is not going to stop the war in Gaza.”

The benefit, he said, is that it “sends a clear message” that Israel should resume negotiations toward a two-state solution.

“With a government that has no interest in negotiating, the West has decided to move unilaterally,” Allen said.