Why did Mark Carney choose this moment to recognize Palestine as a state?
The announcement by Prime Minister Mark Carney Wednesday to recognize Palestine as a state took many Canadians by surprise. Up until recently, Canada and other western states seemed committed to the view that the recognition of Palestine would come at the end of a lengthy peace negotiation between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Two states for two peoples has been a central pillar of Canadian and other western countries’ Middle East policies for decades. Indeed, that is precisely what was envisioned at the time the United Nations voted Israel into existence in 1947. Unfortunately, Israel’s Arab neighbours rejected partition, attacked Israel and the rest is some very complicated, bloody history.
