“Oh Canada!” Trump Threatens To Blow Up Trade Talks As Carney To Recognize Palestinian State

Another G7 member is set to add its name to a growing list of nations planning to recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations summit in September, following France pledging to do so, and after the UK only this week said it very likely will.

Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada plans to issue this recognition in a Thursday statement, setting up a clash with Israel and Washington. Canada has “long been committed to a two-state solution” involving an independent Palestinian state “living side by side with the State of Israel in peace and security.”

via The Canadian Press 

“Canada intends to recognize the state of Palestine at the 80th General Assembly of the United Nations,” Carney told a press briefing, alongside Foreign Minister Anita Anand. “We intend to do so because the Palestinian Authority has committed to lead much needed reform.”

France has positively encouraged the move, with a fresh statement the Elysee Palace highlighting that President Emmanuel Macron had directly engaged on the issue with Carney and looks forward to “working together”.

“We will continue our efforts to encourage others to join this momentum in the run-up to the General Assembly in September,” the Elysee added.

While some Europeans are hailing Canada’s move, this has already provoked a swift and threatening reaction from President Trump.

“Wow! Canada has just announced that it is backing statehood for Palestine. That will make it very hard for us to make a Trade Deal with them. Oh’ Canada!!!” he wrote on Truth Social.

The threat to blow up trade talks due to Palestinian recognition comes as the US is dangling a 35% tariff hike over Canada if a mutual agreement cannot be reached by August 1 – literally tomorrow.

Over in Europe, plenty of small nations have already recognized Palestine as a state, but heavyweight G7 powers like France, Canada and the UK doing so takes things to another level, and Israel’s government would see it as a full-blown diplomatic disaster.

Already, European officials have grown more skeptical of Netanyahu policies, also as The Hague-based ICC has issued a warrant charging war crimes, which in effect prevents Bibi from traveling to much of the European continent.