The UK, Canada and Australia have formally recognised a Palestinian state, prompting Israel to threaten retaliatory annexations in the West Bank. The move, announced on Sunday, is set to deepen global diplomatic rifts and widen the standoff between Israel and its allies.
Washington had warned its allies ahead of the announcement that Israel would retaliate symbolically, with senior officials aware that the response could imperil cornerstone Trump administration initiatives, including the Abraham Accords. In an open letter, senior Republican lawmakers warned the leaders of the UK, Canada and Australia that recognition would put their countries at odds with longstanding US policy and could invite punitive measures.
Members of Benjamin Netanyahu’s rightwing government have floated a maximalist plan to annex 82% of the West Bank. National security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said the move required immediate countermeasures, and finance minister Bezalel Smotrich has endorsed the plan. Netanyahu could declare at least a symbolic annexation during his speech to the UN General Assembly this week.
The move would anger Arab states such as the United Arab Emirates, which has called West Bank annexation a red line, potentially leading to a downgrade of diplomatic ties. It would also increase support for new EU sanctions and tariffs, raising tensions between Israel and Brussels at a time when the US is reportedly planning to sell nearly $6bn in weapons to Israel.
Netanyahu said Israel would retaliate after his visit to the UN, stating: 'We have doubled Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria – and we will continue on this path.' Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the goal of recognition was to 'revive the hope of peace and a two-state solution'.
