Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, who has pledged to continue paying the salaries of terrorists, welcomed the announcements by Australia, the United Kingdom, and Canada officially recognizing the State of Palestine as an independent and sovereign state.
Abbas hailed Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's declaration, stating that the move represented an important and necessary step toward achieving a just and lasting peace based on international legitimacy. He stressed that Australia’s recognition of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination would pave the way for the implementation of the two-state solution, enabling Palestine and Israel to live side by side in security and good neighborliness.
The PA chairman also welcomed the decision of British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, emphasizing that the United Kingdom’s recognition would open new horizons for realizing Palestinian independence. He reiterated that such recognition strengthens the path toward a two-state solution and peaceful coexistence with Israel.
In Canada, Prime Minister Mark Carney declared his country’s official recognition of a Palestinian state, presenting it as part of efforts to support peaceful coexistence and end the rule of Hamas. Carney underlined that the move carried no legitimacy for terrorism and noted that the Palestinian Authority had committed to reforms and obligations.
Abbas praised the Canadian decision as a crucial step toward peace and stressed that recognition of Palestinian sovereignty would reinforce international efforts to secure a two-state solution.
Across his statements, Abbas highlighted immediate priorities including a ceasefire, the entry of humanitarian aid, the release of all hostages and prisoners, a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, Palestinian governance of the Strip, recovery and reconstruction, as well as halting settlement activity and settler violence.
The Palestinian leader reaffirmed that the PA remains committed to all obligations and reforms it has pledged in official communications with the governments of Australia, the United Kingdom, and Canada.