UK, Canada and Australia recognize Palestinian state

Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa has arrived in New York along with a senior delegation to attend meetings of the UN General Assembly.

It marks the first attendance of a Syrian head of state in nearly 60 years. 

Sharaa, a former al-Qaida leader, is expected to deliver his first address at the General Assembly on Tuesday. He is accompanied by several ministers.

The visit underscores the sweeping changes in Syria's political landscape in less than a year. In December 2024, Syrian dictator Bashar Assad was ousted by rebel forces led by al-Sharaa, which brought an end to nearly 14 years of civil war.

Since then, al-Sharaa has sought to restore Syria's international ties. 

Along with his appearance at the General Assembly, al-Sharaa is likely to use his visit to push for further sanctions relief for Syria.

Syria seeks sanctions relief

The Middle Eastern nation is attempting to rebuild its economy and infrastructure after 14 years of civil war. 

After meeting al-Sharaa, US President Donald Trump in June temporarily waived some sanctions imposed on Syria under the Assads' rule.

While many US sanctions were subsequently waived, Congress must vote to permanently remove them.

Shortly afterward, the US also revoked the designation of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) as a foreign terrorist organization. The Syrian transitional government has largely emerged from this group.

Portugal's Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel said on Sunday the two-state solution remains the only viable way to resolve the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.

His remarks come after Portugal became the latest Western nation to formally recognize the state of Palestine, after similar announcements by the UK, Canada and Australia earlier on Sunday.

"Portugal advocates the two-state solution as the only path to a just and lasting peace... a ceasefire is urgent," Rangel said, adding that Hamas "cannot have any form of control in Gaza or outside it."

Rangle also said that recognizing the state of Palestine "does not erase the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza."

He condemned the "expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank" while saying "the recognition of the state of Palestine is the realization of a fundamental, constant, and fundamental line of Portuguese foreign policy."

He also called on Hamas to release all hostages.

Rangel made the comments at the headquarters of Portugal's permanent mission to the United Nations in New York.

DW spoke to Middle East expert Fawaz Gerges after the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia announced their recognition of Palestinian statehood.

"Some of the closest allies of the United States and Israel are saying to Israel, 'enough is enough.' So that pressure is really multiplying on Israel," said Gerges, adding that Israel is becoming "more of a pariah state."

On Israel's far-right ministers calling for a quick annexation of the occupied West Bank following the recognition, London-based Gerges said the move would "lead to Israel being isolated further."

"What Israel has been trying to do since 1993, the Oslo Accords — the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians – Israel has been really building more and more settlements," Gerges told DW.

Portugal has followed the UK, Canada and Australia in recognizing the state of Palestine.

Portuguese Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel also said his country advocates a two-state solution as the only way to ensure lasting peace.

The Israeli military said that a drone attack near the southern Lebanese city of Bint Jbeil on Sunday killed a Hezbollah member.

"The terrorist operated from within a civilian population and in violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon," the Israel Defense Force (IDF) said in a statement.

The Lebanese Health Ministry had reported earlier on Sunday that at least five people, including three children, were killed by an Israeli drone strike.

The IDF said that "it regrets any harm to uninvolved individuals and operates to minimize harm as much as possible. The incident is under review."

In a post on X, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam called the attack a "blatant crime against civilians and a message of intimidation aimed at our people returning to their villages in the south."

French President Emmanuel Macron has said that his country's planned recognition of a Palestinian state will not include the opening of an embassy until Hamas frees the hostages still held in Gaza.

"The top priority remains the release of hostages," Macron told CBS News in an interview that was aired on Sunday, adding that this is a "clear condition" before an embassy is opened. 

In late July, Macron announced that France would recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September — the first G7 country and biggest European Union member state to make such an announcement. 

In the interview, which was recorded on Thursday, Macron said he had made the decision "when the Knesset (Israeli parliament) decided to start the settlements again in the West Bank." 

"There is no Hamas in the West Bank. They just want to destroy the existing political bodies, and the possibility of the two states. And I really believe this is a terrible mistake for Israel itself," he added.

The Palestinian Authority (PA) administers parts of the West Bank under Israeli occupation, while Hamas has ruled Gaza since 2007.

The United Kingdom, Canada and Australia have become the first major Western economies to recognize a Palestinian state.

The move comes ahead of the UN General Assembly's special summit on the war in the Gaza Strip, which starts on Monday.

Several countries said they will join around 150 UN members that already recognize a Palestinian state. These include France, Belgium, Luxembourg and Malta.

Most of the recent European declarations on recognizing Palestinian statehood have come as a result of Israel's ongoing military campaign in Gaza.

But can the recognition of a Palestinian state bring peace? DW spoke to experts about whether these recognitions represent more than symbolic gestures.

In Lebanon, at least five people were killed by an Israeli drone strike on Sunday, including three children, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

The state-run National News Agency reported that the strike, which took place near the southern city of Bint Jbeil, had targeted a motorcycle.

Israel and Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah

fought a nearly 14-month war that ended with ceasefire in November last year.

The ceasefire between the two sides ended this year. Israel has since launched multiple strikes on what it says are Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday told Western leaders that the establishment of a Palestinian state "will not happen."

His statement came after the recognition of a Palestinian statehood by the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia.

"I have a clear message for those leaders who recognize a Palestinian state after the horrific massacre on October 7: you are granting a huge reward to terror," he said. "And I have another message for you: it will not happen. No Palestinian state will be established west of the Jordan River."

Netanyahu made the same pledge during a visit to the Maale Adumim settlement in the occupied West Bank this month.

The Israeli prime minister also vowed that his government would continue to expand Jewish settlements in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967.

"For years, I have prevented the creation of this terror state despite enormous pressure both domestically and internationally," he said, pointing out that the number of settlements have doubled. "We will continue on this path," Netanyahu added.

The families of the Israeli hostages still held in Gaza have condemned the decision by the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia to recognize a Palestinian state.

In a statement, they said the move turns "a blind eye" to the 48 people who remain in Hamas captivity.

"As families who deeply want peace in the region, we believe that any discussion about recognizing a Palestinian state must be contingent upon the immediate release of all hostages," the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said. 

It added that "any nation that fails to uphold this essential prerequisite acts against international law and effectively enables terrorism while legitimizing the October 7th massacre."

The relatives of the hostages also said that "offering such significant political rewards ... represents a catastrophic failure of political, moral, and diplomatic leadership that will severely damage efforts to bring them all home." 

After the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia joined the ranks of countries recognizing a Palestinian state, a senior Hamas official on Sunday hailed the move as a victory.

"These developments represent a victory for Palestinian rights and the justice of our cause, and send a clear message: no matter how far the occupation goes in its crimes, it will never be able to erase our national rights," Mahmoud Mardawi told the AFP news agency.

Hamas is designated as a terror organization by Israel, the US, EU, Germany and others.

Meanwhile, Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein warned in a post on X that the move risks further destabilizing the region.

"This declaration does not promote peace, but on the contrary further destabilises the region and undermines the chances of achieving a peaceful solution in the future," said Marmorstein. 

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Sunday that Britain has joined Canada and Australia in formally recognizing a Palestinian state, despite fierce opposition from Israel and the US.

What reasons did he give, and how did Israel and the Palestinians respond? DW has more. 

The United Kingdom, Canada and Australia are the latest Western countries to formally declare their recognition of Palestinian statehood.

Britain and Canada became the first G7 countries to take the step. France has also said it plans to follow suit at the annual UN General Assembly, which kicks off in New York on Monday.

But the historic moves put these countries at odds with their allies the United States and Israel.

Earlier on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to fight the Palestinian statehood initiative at the UN. 

Moments after the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia officially declared they had recognized the state of Palestine, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said that the recognition is "nothing but a reward for jihadist Hamas."

"Hamas leaders themselves openly admit: this recognition is a direct outcome, the 'fruit' for the October 7 massacre," the ministry posted on X.  

Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was more explicit, vowing "countermeasures" including annexing the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

"The recognition by Britain, Canada and Australia of a Palestinian state... requires immediate countermeasures... I intend to submit a proposal for applying sovereignty [over the West Bank] at the upcoming cabinet meeting," he said.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who last month vowed to "bury the idea of a Palestinian state," made a similar statement.

"The days when Britain and other countries would determine our future are over," the member of the National Religious Party-Religious Zionism party said.

Following the announcements made by the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, the West Bank-based Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates expressed gratitude to the countries for recognizing the State of Palestine.

In a post on X, it said that these "courageous decisions" are "in line with international law and international legitimacy resolutions."