NEW YORK: France and Saudi Arabia convened a world summit in New York on the eve of the United Nations General Assembly to rally global support for a two-state solution, with several countries expected to formally recognize the State of Palestine.
On September 21, 2025, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and Portugal officially recognized Palestine in a coordinated move driven by frustration over the ongoing war in Gaza and a desire to reignite stalled peace negotiations. Malta has announced it will make its recognition official during the UNGA in New York. France and other nations are also expected to declare similar recognitions during the UNGA session.
The UK announcement followed a promise from Prime Minister Keir Starmer, made in July, that Britain would recognize a Palestinian state in September unless Israel took substantive steps: agreeing to a ceasefire in Gaza, allowing greater humanitarian aid access, making explicit that there would be no further annexation of the West Bank, and committing to a long-term peace process that embraces a two-state solution. These conditions were not met.
Prime Minister Starmer said in announcing recognition that it was meant “to revive the hope of peace for the Palestinians and Israelis, and a two-state solution” and criticized the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, saying the “man-made humanitarian crisis … reaches new depths” with “relentless and increasing bombardment,” starvation, devastation and the offensive of recent weeks being “utterly intolerable.”
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said that Canada recognizes the State of Palestine and offers a partnership for a peaceful future for both Palestinian and Israeli states. Portuguese Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel described the recognition as aligned with a “fundamental, constant … line of Portuguese foreign policy,” asserting that the two-state solution is the only path to a just and lasting peace, and calling a ceasefire “urgent.”
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that Australia formally recognizes Palestine as a sovereign state, becoming one of more than 150 countries to do so. This declaration was part of a joint statement with Foreign Minister Penny Wong. “This is the world saying that the cycle of violence has to stop,”
Mr Albanese said in New York, where he led the Australian delegation to the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly. “Now is the time. You can’t just watch what is unfolding there and not have a response.” He said Australia recognizes “the legitimate and long-held aspirations of the people of Palestine to a state of their own.”
Mr Albanese affirmed that Australia’s recognition reflects its longstanding commitment to a two-state solution, and that “a two-state solution is humanity’s best hope to break the cycle of violence in the Middle East and to bring an end to the conflict, suffering and starvation in Gaza.” He added that recognition is predicated on commitments Australia has received from the Palestinian Authority, including that Hamas must have “no role in Palestine,” that democratic elections be held, that governance, finance and education reforms be enacted, and that the Palestinian Authority recognize the right of Israel to exist.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the move, stating that recognition helps pave the way for the State of Palestine to live side by side with the State of Israel in security, peace, and good neighborliness. Palestinian officials and critics have called the step a message of hope to Palestinians, affirming their right to sovereignty.
In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the recognitions as a “huge reward to terrorism” referring to Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack. Netanyahu reiterated that “it will not happen,” and that a Palestinian state will not be established west of the Jordan River.
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir announced that he intends to submit a proposal at the upcoming cabinet meeting for applying Israeli sovereignty over parts of the West Bank. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and other far-right ministers called for immediate annexation, especially in Area C and the Jordan Valley, rejecting the idea of Palestinian statehood entirely.
Starmer’s earlier conditions, made public in late July, had made it clear that recognition would depend on Israel’s actions regarding aid, ceasefire, annexation policy, and commitment to peace. Starmer emphasized there is no equivalence between Israel and Hamas: that Hamas must release all hostages, agree to a ceasefire, disarm, and have no role in future governance in Gaza.
Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy said that recognizing a state does not mean a state will emerge “overnight,” underlining that recognition is intended to keep alive the prospects of a two-state solution. Layla Moran, a UK MP of Palestinian descent, said the move rectifies a decades-long injustice and marks the beginning of a journey, adding that it must translate into changes on the ground and should not have required the scale of violence now witnessed to occur.
US President Donald Trump, during a state visit in the UK last week, expressed opposition to the recognition, remaining firm that he sees no role for his country in following suit at this juncture.
Palestinian public response in the West Bank saw praise of the recognitions as correcting historical wrongs and offering a path to justice, while many also stressed that recognition must be backed by concrete steps: ending the war in Gaza, bringing humanitarian relief, ensuring accountability for violence, and safeguarding Palestinian civil and political rights.
As the UNGA convenes, more countries are expected to recognize a Palestinian state, giving this year’s Assembly what many see as the potential to become a historic turning point in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The move signals that international patience with the status quo is eroding, even as serious challenges like ongoing violence, mass displacement, destruction, humanitarian collapse in Gaza, and continued settlement expansion in the West Bank remain unresolved.
-Dr. Shahid Siddiqui from New York; follow via X @shahidsiddiqui
