The U.K., Canada and Australia recognized Sunday an independent State of Palestine, in a historic decision that disregarded vociferous opposition from the U.S. and Israel.
Their decisions mark a seismic shift in decades of Western foreign policy, triggering swift Israeli anger.
Portugal was also to recognize Palestinian statehood later Sunday, as Israel came under huge international pressure over its genocidal war on Gaza, triggered almost two years ago by the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas incursion.
"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," U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a message on X.
Britain and Canada became the first G-7 countries to take the step, with France and other nations expected to follow at the annual U.N. General Assembly, which opens Monday in New York.
"Canada recognizes the State of Palestine and offers our partnership in building the promise of a peaceful future for both the State of Palestine and the State of Israel," Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney wrote on X.
It is a watershed moment for Palestinians and their decadeslong ambitions for statehood, with the most powerful Western nations having long argued it should only come as part of a negotiated peace deal with Israel.
But the move puts those countries at odds with the United States and Israel, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reacting angrily and vowing to oppose it at the U.N. talks.
Calls for a Palestinian state "would endanger our existence and serve as an absurd reward for terrorism," Netanyahu claimed Sunday.
A growing number of longtime allies have shifted positions, as Israel has intensified its Gaza offensive, vowing to eliminate the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas.
The Gaza Strip has suffered vast destruction, a spiralling death toll and a lack of food that has sparked a major humanitarian crisis since the start of the conflict, which has drawn an international outcry.
The U.K. government has come under increasing public pressure to act, with thousands rallying every month on the streets. A poll released by YouGov on Friday showed two-thirds of young Britons aged 18-25 supported Palestinian statehood.
Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy acknowledged at the U.N. in July that "Britain bears a special burden of responsibility to support the two-state solution."
Over a century ago, the U.K. was pivotal in laying the groundwork for the creation of the state of Israel through the 1917 Balfour Declaration.
Three-quarters of U.N. members already recognize Palestinian statehood, with over 140 of the 193 having taken the step.
Starmer said in July that his Labour government intended to recognize a Palestinian State unless Israel took "substantive" steps, including reaching a cease-fire in Gaza, getting more aid into the territory and confirming it would not annex the West Bank.
Starmer has also repeatedly called on Hamas to release the remaining hostages they captured in the 2023 incursion and is expected to set out new sanctions on the Palestinian group.
Lammy told the BBC on Sunday that the Palestinian Authority – the civilian body that governs in areas of the occupied West Bank – had been calling for the move for some time "and I think a lot of that is wrapped up in hope."
"Will this feed children? No it won't, that's down to humanitarian aid. Will this free hostages? That must be down to a cease-fire."
But he said it was an attempt to "hold out for" a two-state solution.
Palestinian Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian Shahin told AFP last week: "Recognition is not symbolic."
"It sends a very clear message to the Israelis on their illusions on continuing their occupation forever," she added.
Hamas' 2023 incursion on southern Israel caused 1,219 deaths, according to an AFP tally of official figures.
Israel's genocidal war, in comparison, has killed at least 65,208 people, mostly women and children, according to figures from the Gazan Health Ministry that the United Nations considers reliable.
Portugal said that it would also formally declare its recognition in New York on Sunday.
"By acting now, as the Portuguese government has decided, we're keeping alive the possibility of having two states," Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said.
