“As the president stated, he would be rewarding Hamas if he recognises a Palestinian state, and he doesn’t think they should be rewarded,” a White House official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“So he is not going to do that. President Trump’s focus is on getting people fed (in Gaza).”
Destroyed buildings in the northern Gaza Strip, as seen from a position on the Israeli side of the border on Wednesday.Credit: Getty Images
The official did not respond to a question on whether the US was given advance notice of Carney’s announcement.
The Commonwealth nation joins France in planning to recognise Palestine at the United Nations General Assembly in September, while the United Kingdom says it will also recognise Palestine unless Israel commits to an immediate ceasefire and takes urgent steps to end the humanitarian disaster in Gaza.
But Australia has so far rejected that step, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese saying that while he supports a two state solution, he did not want to “win a political point”.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers said Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong would respond to Canada’s decision in “due course”.
Chalmers reiterated his view that Australian recognition of Palestine was a matter of “when, not if”, and welcomed international momentum on the matter.
“The prime minister and foreign minister will respond in due course formally, but in my personal view, I welcome momentum and progress made in the international community,” Chalmers told Sky News.
“From an Australian point of view, recognition of Palestine is a matter of when not if, so in that light, progress we’re seeing is welcome but also conditional.”
At least 48 Palestinians were killed and dozens were wounded on Wednesday while waiting for food at a crossing in the Gaza Strip, according to a local hospital that received the casualties.
The latest violence around aid distribution came as the U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff – who has led the Trump administration’s efforts to wind down the nearly 22-month war and release hostages taken in Hamas’ October 7 attack that sparked the fighting – will arrive in Israel on Thursday for talks on the situation in Gaza.
Earlier on Wednesday, Israeli security cabinet member Zeev Elkin said Israel could threaten to annex parts of Gaza to increase pressure on Hamas, an idea that would deal a blow to Palestinian hopes of statehood on land Israel now occupies.
Accusing Hamas of trying to drag out ceasefire talks to gain Israeli concessions, Elkin told public broadcaster Kan that Israel may give the group an ultimatum to reach a deal before further expanding its military actions.
“The most painful thing for our enemy is losing lands,” he said. “A clarification to Hamas that the moment they play games with us they will lose land that they will never get back would be a significant pressure tool.”
Though recognition of a Palestinian state is largely seen as a symbolic move, Gazan man Saed al-Akhras said he hoped it marked a “real shift in how Western countries view the Palestinian cause”.
“Enough! Palestinians have lived for more than 70 years under killing, destruction, and occupation, while the world watches in silence,” he said.
The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked communities in southern Israel, killing some 1200 people and taking another 251 hostage, according to Israeli tallies.
Since then, Israel’s offensive in the Gaza Strip has killed more than 60,000 people and laid waste to much of the territory, the Gaza health ministry says.
More to come
