Canada says Palestinian recognition designed to save two-state solution

OTTAWA (Reuters) -Canada intends to recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations in September, Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Wednesday, saying his goal was to preserve the possibility of a two-state solution.

Carney told reporters the planned move was predicated on the Palestinian Authority's commitment to reforms, including commitments to fundamentally reform its governance and to hold general elections in 2026 in which Hamas can play no part.

Canada had long stated it would only recognize a Palestinian state at the conclusion of peace talks with Israel. But Carney said the reality on the ground, including starvation of citizens in Gaza, meant "the prospect of a Palestinian state is literally receding before our eyes."

Among the reasons, he said, were "the pervasive threat of Hamas terrorism to Israel," accelerated settlement building across the West Bank and East Jerusalem and a vote by the Knesset calling for the annexation of the West Bank.

"Canada condemns the fact that the Israeli government has allowed a catastrophe to unfold in Gaza," he said.

(Reporting by David Ljunggren and Ismail Shakil; Editing by Leslie Adler and Chris Reese)

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