BREAKING: Mark Carney to officially recognize Palestinian state
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After meeting with his cabinet Wednesday, Carney told reporters that hoping for a two-state solution negotiated between the Palestinian Authority, which governs the West Bank, and Israel was 'no longer tenable' because of the war in Gaza.
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'The deepening suffering of civilians leaves no room for delay in co-ordinated international action to support peace, security, and the dignity of all human life,' Carney said.
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'The level of human suffering in Gaza is intolerable and is rapidly deteriorating,' he added.
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Carney's announcement was immediately condemned by the Israeli embassy, which said it rewards the 2023 terrorist attacks against Israel that started the war in Gaza.
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'Let us be clear: Israel will not bow to the distorted campaign of international pressure against it. We will not sacrifice our very existence by permitting the imposition of a jihadist state on our ancestral homeland that seeks our annihilation,' said Ambassador Iddo Moed.
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'Recognizing a Palestinian state in the absence of accountable government, functioning institutions, or benevolent leadership, rewards and legitimizes the monstrous barbarity of Hamas on October 7, 2023 (the Hamas terrorist attack). It punishes Israeli and Palestinian victims of Hamas, vindicates Hamas' Western sympathizers fuelling antisemitism, and hardens Hamas' position at the negotiation table at a most critical time.'
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Carney said the recognition would go to the Palestinian Authority and that Hamas is not welcome 'in any shape or form' in the process. He said he spoke earlier Wednesday to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who reiterated a commitment to fundamentally reform the Authority's governance, demilitarize the Palestinian state and hold general elections in 2026 that exclude Hamas.
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On Wednesday, the 22-member Arab League signed a declaration with the European Union and 17 other countries calling on the terrorist group Hamas to disarm and relinquish power in the Gaza Strip.
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It is the first time that the league, which comprises Arab and Muslim states including Qatar, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, condemned Hamas since its 2023 attack on Israel.
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The declaration that was signed at a UN conference hosted by Saudi Arabia and France on 'the peaceful settlement' of the Palestinian issue and the implementation of a two-state solution.
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