September 21, 2025
OTTAWA – Canada has cowered to international pressure today by prematurely recognizing a Palestinian state built entirely on empty promises from the Palestinian Authority (PA).
“The PA has shown, time and again, that it cannot be trusted,” said Richard Robertson, Director of Research and Advocacy for B’nai Brith Canada. “It is unable to govern the Palestinian Territories and has repeatedly demonstrated it is unwilling to deliver on the very commitments upon which Canada’s recognition is supposed to be predicated.
“The commitments include democratic reform, free and fair elections in 2026 without Hamas, and the full demilitarization of the Palestinian Territories.
“None of these conditions have been met. Hamas continues to arm itself, hold hostages, and carry out terror attacks. Recognition under these circumstances does not bring us any closer to lasting peace, it only further compromises the prospect of a two-state solution.
“Canada once had the courage to stand up for its morals and values. Today, our Government has chosen appeasement over principle.”
In a 2014 speech to the Israeli Knesset, then-Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper declared to the world that “…it is thus a Canadian tradition to stand for what is principled and just, regardless of whether it is convenient or popular.”
By prematurely recognizing a Palestinian state, based on empty promises from the PA, Canada has abandoned its legacy.