By Joe Adam George, October 7, 2025
In a stunning act of inconsideration and political vanity, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Canada’s recognition of a Palestinian state on the eve of Rosh Hashanah – one of the holiest days in the Jewish calendar. Coordinated with the United Kingdom and Australia, this unilateral move reversed decades of Canadian foreign policy, which supported a two-state solution only as part of a negotiated peace settlement between Israelis and Palestinians.
Carney’s recognition stunt has no legal effect, but its consequences are real: it undermines Canada’s security interests, weakens our already strained credibility with the United States, and delivers a propaganda victory to the terrorist group Hamas.
Indeed, United States President Donald Trump dismissed Carney’s action as “foolish,” and Secretary of State Marco Rubio bluntly called it a “vanity project” that derailed efforts to end the war and secure the release of Israeli hostages. Meanwhile, Hamas thanked the Liberal government for the recognition, describing it as a reward for Palestinian “struggle” and “sacrifice.”
To compound matters, Washington proposed a Gaza peace plan last week which was widely endorsed by Middle Eastern and European leaders, rendering Carney’s recognition of Palestine all the more worthless. To Canada’s detriment, the Liberals’ latest bid for global validation may have left Ottawa frozen out of the peace process for good.
Fuelling extremism at home and abroad
This reckless decision also emboldens extremist elements within Canada. Pro-Hamas demonstrations have already challenged the rule of law, and Carney’s announcement only feeds their rhetoric. The unruly scenes at the Niagara Falls pro-Hamas protest last weekend and the University of Toronto Student Union’s glorification of terrorism to mark the second anniversary of the October 7 attacks offer a preview of what legitimizing this movement will mean for social cohesion and public safety.
Rubio noted that Canada’s weak immigration policies have given Islamist groups and radical mobs undue political clout. His assessment aligns with a recent report from the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy, which concluded that Canadian institutions have been infiltrated by the Muslim Brotherhood, shaping policies that advance Islamist objectives. Canada’s recognition of Palestine will only strengthen the extremist group’s hand.
And as if recognition wasn’t enough to ingratiate the pro-Hamas vote bank, Carney officiously floated the idea of sending Canadian troops to Palestine as part of a multinational peacekeeping force. Such an impetuous move would not only put our soldiers in direct danger but also risk fuelling radicalization at home, much as Canada’s involvement in the US-led Global War on Terror spurred plots like a 2010 case involving three men charged with conspiring to attack Canadians – including targets in Canada as well as Canadian forces abroad. The danger is hardly theoretical: the RCMP recently reported a 488 per cent spike in terrorism-related charges between April 2023 and March 2024, driven largely by ISIS-inspired youth radicalization and the Israel-Hamas conflict. Against this backdrop, Carney’s proposal looks less like leadership than sheer folly.
Hamas is the only winner
Carney insists that his recognition of Palestine does not legitimize terrorism. Hamas would beg to differ. The group has thanked Canada three times since carrying out their vicious attacks on Israeli soil on October 7, 2023. Following Carney’s announcement, Ghazi Hamad, a senior Hamas leader, even declared that the atrocities of October 7 were “worth it” because they shifted global opinion against Israel. In effect, Canada has endorsed Hamas’s logic: terror pays.
Hamas leaders have always been clear about their intentions. Khaled Mashal, one of the group’s founders, is quoted to have said: “We do not accept the two-state solution because it means that we accept the existence of the state of Israel, and we can’t do that. Israel is my enemy.” This is why Hamas celebrated Canada’s recognition – not as a step toward peace, but as validation of their war to eradicate Israel.
The largely symbolic recognition also does not benefit Palestinians in any meaningful way. A few hours before Carney’s announcement, the nature of Hamas’s rule was revealed yet again when its “Sahem” unit executed suspected collaborators in Gaza before cheering crowds – no trials, no justice. Yet Ottawa continues to promote a “two-state solution,” as if peace is possible while Hamas remains the dominant political force. Genuine Palestinian self-determination will never be achieved while a terrorist organization holds its people hostage.
A final solution, not a two-state solution
Former US President Bill Clinton observed that Palestinians could have had a state alongside Israel long ago if that was truly their goal. Instead, their leaders have rejected compromise after compromise, indoctrinated generations with hatred, and continued to envision a Palestine that replaces Israel altogether.
By recognizing “Palestine,” what Carney has endorsed is not a partner for peace but a terrorist project masquerading as a state. It is not a two-state solution. It is, as history grimly reminds us, a Final Solution.
To add insult to injury, Carney pledged another $47 million for the Palestinian cause, bringing Canada’s total contribution to over $400 million. This largesse comes despite warnings from Canada’s Parliamentary Budget Office about Ottawa’s unsustainable spending and the country teetering on the brink of fiscal crisis.
The issue is not only Carney’s incompetence as a prime minister, though that is evident. It is his refusal to be honest with Canadians about the self-inflicted diplomatic blunders his government continues to unleash. By recognizing Palestine unilaterally, Carney has undermined decades of Canadian diplomacy, alienated our closest allies, emboldened terror groups, and handed extremists in Canada a dangerous victory.
Carney’s reckless gamble will have catastrophic consequences for Canada’s security, social cohesion, credibility, and moral standing. Every day he remains in office, the damage grows deeper.
Joe Adam George is a national security analyst at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute and Canada research lead for Islamist threats at the Middle East Forum.
