GOLDSTEIN: Weasel words led to Canada’s recognition of Palestine

Prime Minister Mark Carney misled Canadians

Published Oct 14, 2026  •  3 minute read

Prime Minister Mark Carney delivers a speech at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, as part of a trip during which he welcomed a proposal for Canada to become the EU's first associate member, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026. Photo by Jean-Christophe Verhaegen / AFP /Getty Images

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It now seems clear that Prime Minister Mark Carney misled Canadians when he said, in recognizing the Palestinian state on July 30, 2025, that Canada’s support was “predicated on the Palestinian Authority’s commitment to much-needed reforms.”

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These included, “commitments by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to fundamentally reform its governance, to hold general elections in 2026 in which Hamas can play no part, and to demilitarize the Palestinian state.”

On the issue of demilitarization, Carney said, “Hamas must disarm and … must play no role in the future governance of Palestine.”

When a policy is “predicated” on certain actions taking place, the plain and simple meaning of the word is that these actions are supposed to happen before the policy comes into effect.

In law, this is known as a “condition precedent,” meaning the specified actions must be established before a contract becomes legally binding and enforceable.

Of course this isn’t about law, it’s about Mideast politics.

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With Abbas announcing last week that he is postponing Palestinian elections scheduled for Nov. 28 by almost 10 months, until Sept. 11, 2027, and given the fact Hamas has not disarmed, intends to participate in that election and agrees with Abbas’ decision to postpone it, none of the conditions on which Carney “predicated” Canada’s recognition of an independent Palestinian state have been met.

That obviously doesn’t matter because Canada is not going to withdraw its recognition of the Palestinian state, which Carney formally declared at the United Nations on Sept. 22 2025.

‘Deep regret’

On Tuesday, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand, issued a joint statement with the foreign affairs ministers of Australia, France and the U.K., expressing “deep regret” over Abbas’ decision to postpone the election and called “on the Palestinian Authority to reconsider the decision … and to take the necessary steps to hold legislative and presidential elections without further delay.”

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But that was it. There was nothing about Canada cancelling its recognition of the Palestinian state, or delaying or withdrawing its latest $100-million donation last month intended for humanitarian aid in Gaza and the West Bank and to train police and security forces in the West Bank.

That was part of the more than $600-million Canada has donated in international assistance to the Palestinians since the war in Gaza was set off by Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and Israel’s military response which devastated Gaza and led to more than 70,000 deaths.

Given that, it’s now reasonable to conclude Carney’s recognition of the Palestinian state was unconditional and the claim it was predicated on Abbas fulfilling specific conditions was performative — a statement done for show, without any conviction behind it.

Abbas blamed his decision to postpone the Palestinian elections on interference by Israel, but that’s nothing new.

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Abbas hasn’t allowed any Palestinian elections since 2006, when he lost to Hamas, designated a terrorist organization by Canada in 2002.

That led to Hamas taking over Gaza while Abbas’ Fatah party continued to rule in the West Bank — the two components of what are supposed to form the new Palestinian state.

The last time Abbas postponed Palestinian elections was in 2021.

The reason Abbas — who is 90 years old and has been widely condemned as an antisemite and Holocaust denier — keeps postponing elections is out of his fear of losing them.

Polls show he has little popular support among Palestinians, with the overwhelming majority wanting him to resign because they think he is ineffective.

They also believe the Palestinian Authority he leads, which has received billions of dollars in foreign aid, is corrupt.

By contrast, when it comes to faulting Israel for impeding the creation of a Palestinian state, the Carney government is ever vigilant.

For example, Anand announced in June that Canada was imposing its fifth round of sanctions related to violence by Jewish settlers against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank, which Canada views as a major obstacle to the so-called “two-state solution” of an independent Palestinian state living in peace beside a secure Israel.

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