JSpaceCanada Applauds Canada’s Recognition of the State of Palestine

JSpaceCanada has been advocating for this step since February 2024, for the reasons outlined by the Prime Minister: to preserve the possibility of a two-state solution in the face of existential threats from Hamas terrorism which seeks not only to destroy any potential diplomatic solution but also the very existence of Israel, and the damaging policies of successive Israeli governments that have accelerated settlement building in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem and pursued annexation of occupied territory.

Both the current Israeli government and Hamas have made clear that they do not envision a future in which they live in peace with their neighbours, either Israel alongside Palestine, or Palestine alongside Israel.

In the face of such unilateral and exclusivist positions, it is right, moral, and just for the international community to intervene and work toward the only outcome that can guarantee safety, security, and peace for both peoples: a two-state solution. This is also the solution long supported by the majority of Canadian Jews.

“By taking this step, Canada is pushing back against extremist positions and reminding leaders that the question of a two-state solution is not if, but how,” said JSpaceCanada Executive Director Maytal Kowalski. “For too long, we have allowed the conversation to focus on if there will be a future Palestinian state. It is time to take that question off the table. There is, will be, and must continue to be a Palestinian state. Israeli leaders should recognize this reality and focus on the how.”

As the war in Gaza drags on, long after many in Israel’s own military and security establishment have warned there are no further military gains to be achieved; as hostages held by Hamas for nearly two years remain in grave and increasing danger following Israel’s incursion into Gaza City; as Palestinians in Gaza suffer from a lack of food, shelter, and medical care; and as the Israeli government continues to fail to put forward a credible “day-after” plan for Gaza and the Palestinian people, it is imperative that Canada and its allies step up. 

Canada must help bring this atrocity to an end, and support a credible peace plan, democratic governance, and security arrangements for Palestine, and lasting safety and security for the Jewish state of Israel through a two-state solution.