Overview

• Between July 25 and 31, France, the UK and Canada committed to formally recognise a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September, becoming the first major Western democracies to do so.
• Each government has tied recognition to Israeli actions including a Gaza ceasefire, unimpeded humanitarian access and a stop to West Bank annexations, as well as Palestinian Authority reforms such as demilitarisation and 2026 elections excluding Hamas.
• Israel’s foreign ministry denounced the announcements as rewarding Hamas and claimed the moves will harm ceasefire negotiations and hostage release efforts.
• President Trump publicly warned that Canada’s pledge could derail a US-Canada trade deal and hinted at imposing punitive tariffs if no agreement is reached by the August 1 deadline.
• A UN-backed food security report warns that famine thresholds have been crossed in most of Gaza and that acute malnutrition in Gaza City is at crisis levels, intensifying calls for coordinated aid and peace efforts.