Brussels - Paris: Europe and the Arabs
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that his country intends to recognize the State of Palestine at the United Nations.
Carney wrote in an article: "Canada supports a two-state solution that guarantees peace and security for the people of Israel and Palestine." He added that Ottawa "will work actively to achieve this goal in all organizations," including the meeting of foreign ministers at the UN conference on this issue.
The Prime Minister added that Canada condemns the Israeli government's failure to prevent the rapid deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, according to what the Cairo-based Youm7 website reported, citing news agencies.
Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron announced his intention to recognize the Palestinian state in September 2025.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that his country strongly condemns this step and views the establishment of a Palestinian state as a threat to its security.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that Washington rejects French President Emmanuel Macron's plan to recognize a Palestinian state, describing it as a "reckless decision." Rubio wrote in a post on X: "This reckless decision only serves Hamas's propaganda and hinders peace."
Jordan Bardella, leader of the French National Rally party, stated that President Emmanuel Macron's decision to recognize the State of Palestine was hasty and driven by personal considerations.
Bardella wrote on X: "This is a hasty decision, governed by personal political considerations rather than a sincere desire for justice and peace."
The politician added that "Macron's recognition of the State of Palestine will grant the terrorist movement Hamas unexpected institutional and international legitimacy."
French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Thursday that France would recognize an independent Palestinian state, stressing the urgent need to stop the war in Gaza and save civilians.
He emphasized that "the French want peace in the Middle East. Our role as French, with the Israelis, the Palestinians, and our European and international partners, is to prove that this is possible."
In a statement on Thursday evening, Hamas welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron's intention to recognize the State of Palestine during the UN General Assembly meetings next September. The movement called on all countries of the world, especially European countries and those that have not yet recognized the State of Palestine, to follow France's example and fully recognize the national rights of the Palestinian people, most notably their right to return, self-determination, and the establishment of a fully sovereign, independent state on their land with Jerusalem as its capital.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Thursday that he would hold emergency talks with France and Germany regarding Gaza, condemning the suffering and hunger in the Strip.
Starmer said the situation had been dire for some time but "has reached new levels of deterioration," according to the British PA Media agency. He stated that the widespread suffering and hunger in Gaza are indescribable and indefensible.
He added: "While the situation has been dire for some time, it has reached new levels of deterioration and continues to worsen... We are witnessing a humanitarian catastrophe."
He continued: "I will hold an emergency call with the E3 partners (France, Germany, and the United Kingdom) on Friday, where we will discuss what we can urgently do to stop the killing and provide the food they so desperately need, while taking all necessary steps to build a lasting peace." He added, "We all agree on the urgent need for Israel to change course and allow much-needed aid into Gaza without delay."
He stated that "it is difficult to see a bright future in such dark times," but he again called on all parties to engage "in good faith and swiftly" in a ceasefire and the release of all hostages. The British Prime Minister emphasized that they strongly support the efforts of the United States, Qatar, and Egypt to secure this.
He noted that a future ceasefire in Gaza "will put us on the path to recognizing a Palestinian state," emphasizing that the existence of a Palestinian state is an inalienable right of the Palestinian people. He explained that a two-state solution guarantees peace and security for Palestinians and Israelis.
Bloomberg reported that the British Prime Minister is under pressure from senior politicians demanding the acceleration of formal recognition of a Palestinian state.
It also reported that he is under pressure from senior members of his government and French President Emmanuel Macron to immediately recognize Palestine as a sovereign state amid the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza. It's worth noting that weeks of talks in Qatar to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas have not yielded any major breakthroughs. US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff announced the withdrawal of the US negotiating team from Doha following Hamas's response to the ceasefire proposal in the Gaza Strip. Witkoff said in a post on the X platform: "We have decided to withdraw our negotiating team from Doha for consultations following the latest response from Hamas, which clearly demonstrates its unwillingness to reach a ceasefire in Gaza." He noted that the movement's recent position reflects a "lack of seriousness in ending the conflict." The US envoy added that Washington would begin "examining alternative options for returning the hostages to their homes," expressing his regret for what he described as Hamas's "selfish behavior." The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation also reported on Thursday, citing a political source, that the negotiations on Gaza have not collapsed, noting that the Israeli delegation will return to Qatar when there is a chance to reach an agreement.

According to the latest findings from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), one in five children in Gaza City suffers from malnutrition, with cases increasing daily.
In a social media post on Thursday, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini quoted one of his field colleagues in the Strip as saying: “The people of Gaza are neither dead nor alive, but walking corpses.”
Mr. Lazzarini said that when malnutrition among children rises, coping mechanisms fail, access to food and care is cut off, and “famine begins to spread silently.”
He said: “Most of the children our teams receive are emaciated and weak, and are at grave risk of death if they do not receive the urgent treatment they need. More than 100 people have reportedly died of starvation, the vast majority of them children.” UN nutrition partners also found that nearly 5,000 of the 56,000 children under the age of five screened for malnutrition in the first two weeks of July in Khan Younis, Deir al-Balah, and Gaza governorates were suffering from acute malnutrition.
UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq noted that this represents a staggering 9%, an increase from 6% in June and 2.4% in February.
Farhan Haq added that the number of stillbirths in Gaza, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, reached 220 cases between January and June of this year.
Dying from Starvation
UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa said that children in Gaza are dying from hunger. He added: "In front of the world's eyes, acute malnutrition is spreading among Gaza's children faster than aid is reaching them." UN official Edouard Beigbeder added that the number of children reported to have died from malnutrition since April has risen from 52 to 80, a 54% increase in less than three months, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. He said these deaths were unacceptable and preventable, and stressed the need to allow the UN-led humanitarian response to fully operate through unhindered access to children in need of assistance.