‘You are rewarding terror’: Netanyahu slams UK, Australia, Canada for recognising Palestinian state

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has lashed out at the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada for their decision to recognise Palestine as a state, declaring that such a move amounted to “rewarding terror".

“There will be no Palestinian state. The response to the latest attempt to force upon us a terror state in the heart of our land will be given after my return from the United States," Netanyahu said before departing to the US.

The Israeli Prime Minister directly linked the recognition to the October 7 Hamas-led attacks on Israel, calling it a dangerous precedent.

“I have a clear message to those leaders who are recognising a Palestinian state after the horrendous October 7 massacre: You are rewarding terror with an enormous prize. And I have another message for you: It’s not going to happen. There will be no Palestinian state to the west of the Jordan river,” he said.

Netanyahu insisted that he had blocked international pressure for years to accept Palestinian statehood and highlighted his government’s expansion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank, vowing that the policy would continue.

Despite Israel’s rejection, the announcement by London, Ottawa and Canberra has added significant weight to the Palestinian bid for international recognition. With these three recognitions, Palestine is now acknowledged as a state by 147 of 193 United Nations member countries.

While recognising Palestine as a state, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney had stressed in their statements that the recognition was intended to support a two-state solution and bolster Palestinian institutions not controlled by Hamas.

Israel has maintained that Palestinian statehood cannot be imposed from outside and must come through direct negotiations. The sharp rhetoric from Netanyahu comes even as the war in Gaza continues to fuel humanitarian and political crises across the region.