Canada is one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership.
On Friday, the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly supported the Palestinian bid to become a full member of the UN. 143 out of 193 member states supported the resolution.
Other countries that joined Canada in abstaining include the United Kingdom and Switzerland. The United States and Israel were among nine countries that rejected the offer.
“Canada’s position on issues related to Israel and Palestine remains and has always been guided by our historic and unwavering commitment to a two-state solution,” Global Affairs Canada said in a statement released Friday. “Canada has decided to abstain from the General Assembly resolution in response to efforts to prevent the realization of a two-state solution.”
The statement blamed both Israeli and Gaza leaders for thwarting efforts toward a two-state solution. The “prospects for lasting peace are bleaker than ever.”
“The (Benjamin) Netanyahu government has made clear in its words and actions that it rejects the two-state solution,” Global Affairs Canada said. “At the same time, Hamas currently controls areas in the Gaza Strip, a significant part of the territory of the future state of Palestine. Hamas continues to hold hostages and has not yet laid down its weapons or ended its violent resistance to Israel's existence.”
The matter will now go before the 15-member UN Security Council, where the US is expected to veto it. A similar resolution was rejected by the US in April.
Even if the UN Security Council rejects the proposal, Palestinians will still have a seat among UN members in the assembly hall from September 2024, but will not have the right to vote.
Palestinians have had non-member observer status in the UN General Assembly since 2012. They are represented by the Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited self-government in the West Bank. The Palestinian Authority also monitored Gaza until 2007, when Hamas militants seized power over the Mediterranean region after an earlier election victory. Hamas launched a bloody attack on Israel on October 7, triggering the current devastating war in Gaza.
“We believe there must be further progress toward Palestinian self-determination,” Global Affairs Canada said. “All Palestinians deserve to be led by a legitimate and representative government, without the involvement of a terrorist organization.”
After a war against its Arab neighbors in 1967, Israel occupied the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The United Nations has long promoted the vision of a separate Palestinian state and Israel within secure and recognized borders.
“It is clear that we urgently need to find a credible path to achieving the two-state solution that gives both Palestinians and Israelis hope that they can live side by side in peace, security and dignity,” Global Affairs Canada said . “Canada stands ready to recognize the State of Palestine at the time most conducive to lasting peace, not necessarily as a final step on that path.”
With files from Reuters