The United Kingdom, Canada and Australia on Sunday announced in a coordinated move that they are officially recognizing a Palestinian state, making Britain the first G7 country to do so.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer fulfilled a pledge he made in July, when he said his government would recognize a Palestinian state if Israel failed to agree to a ceasefire in Gaza and commit to a two-state solution.
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. pic.twitter.com/yrg6Lywc1s
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) September 21, 2025
Minutes earlier, Canada and Australia also recognized a Palestinian state.
In a post on X, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney wrote: “Today, Canada recognizes the State of Palestine.”
Today, Canada recognises the State of Palestine. pic.twitter.com/zhumVJRBfe
— Mark Carney (@MarkJCarney) September 21, 2025
In a joint declaration, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong stated: “As of today, Sunday, September 21, 2025, the Commonwealth of Australia officially recognizes the sovereign and independent State of Palestine.”
The statement said the move, together with Canada and the UK, was “part of a coordinated international effort to build new momentum for a two-state solution.” It stressed that the Hamas terrorist organization “cannot have a role in Palestine” and noted that the Palestinian Authority had committed to recognizing Israel’s right to exist.
Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Wersan Agbakian Shaheen said this week that recognition measures by countries are an irreversible step that will safeguard the two-state solution and bring Palestinian independence and sovereignty closer. “Now is the time. Tomorrow is a historic date,” he told reporters in Ramallah. “This is not the end,” he continued. “It may not end the war tomorrow, but it is progress we must build on,” he said.
Shaheen also criticized Israel, saying it has no intention of negotiating. He cited remarks by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a ceremony earlier this month marking the construction of a new settlement in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, which would cut off Palestinian communities in the north from those in the south. “This recognition is certainly not symbolic. It is a practical, tangible and irreversible step that countries must take if they are invested in preserving the two-state solution,” Shaheen said.
Starmer and the new map issued by the British Foreign Ministry. Photo: AP, British Foreign Ministry
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been under heavy pressure from within his own Labour Party to recognize a Palestinian state, an issue already included in the party’s platform before the elections. More than half of Labour’s Members of Parliament signed a letter calling on the government to recognize a Palestinian state immediately. In July, Starmer announced that Britain would recognize such a state unless Israel met three conditions: agreement to a cease-fire in Gaza, commitment to a sustainable long-term peace agreement leading to a two-state solution, and a halt to measures undermining it, including annexation of land in Judea and Samaria.
According to earlier reports in the UK, Starmer postponed the announcement until after US President Donald Trump’s visit to Britain earlier this week, due to disagreements between London and Washington on the issue. Trump himself admitted at a joint press conference with Starmer during the visit that he and the British prime minister “disagree on the matter.”
According to the BBC, Starmer chose to announce the decision today rather than tomorrow, when France and other European countries are expected to follow suit, out of consideration for Rosh Hashanah. British diplomats reportedly did not want to make a controversial declaration precisely as many Israelis would be sitting down to their holiday meals. Another reason was that Starmer will not be attending the UN General Assembly this week.
The decision has drawn sharp criticism from the political Right and from the Jewish community in the UK. On Friday, Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch called the recognition “a reward for terror.” Britain’s Chief Rabbi, Sir Ephraim Mirvis, urged the government to halt the move, noting that “the expected recognition is not contingent on a functioning or democratic Palestinian government, nor even on the most basic commitment to a future of peace. Astonishingly, it is not even conditioned on the release of the 48 remaining hostages still held in captivity.”
