LONDON (AP) — The U.K., Australia and Canada formally recognized a Palestinian state on Sunday, prompting an angry response from Israel, which ruled out the prospect.
“We recognized the state of Israel more than 75 years ago as a homeland for the Jewish people.
Today we join over 150 countries who recognize a Palestinian state also.”.
The moves by the three countries prompted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to say that the establishment of a Palestinian state “will not happen” while Hamas urged the international community to isolate Israel.
Husam Zomlot, the Palestinian head of mission in the U.K., told the BBC that recognition would right a colonial-era wrong.
The U.K. has for decades supported an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel, but insisted recognition must come as part of a peace plan to achieve a two-state solution.
The creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel is seen internationally as the only realistic way to resolve the conflict for the long-term. »