Hamas: Int’l recognition of Palestine is crucial step toward upholding our people’s rights

In a statement, Hamas described the recognitions as “an important step in affirming the Palestinian people’s right to their land and holy sites, and in establishing an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.” The Movement said this acknowledgment is a long-overdue recognition of the Palestinian people’s struggle, resilience, and sacrifices in their pursuit of liberation and return.

Hamas emphasized that such recognition must be accompanied by practical measures to immediately halt the genocide in Gaza and resist Israeli annexation and Judaization efforts in the West Bank and Al-Quds.

The Movement also called on the international community, the United Nations, and its agencies to isolate Israel, end all forms of cooperation and coordination with it, intensify punitive measures against it, and bring its war criminals to international courts to be held accountable for crimes against humanity.

Hamas demanded clear and decisive international stances to confront the Israeli government, which continues to defy international laws and norms through a declared policy of genocide, ethnic cleansing, and forced displacement of Palestinians.

It reiterated that Palestinian resistance is a natural and lawful right, as guaranteed by international law, and urged world governments to support the Palestinian people in their struggle to achieve self-determination and establish an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.

On Sunday, a wave of international recognitions for the Palestinian state took place, though some were conditioned on excluding Hamas from the political landscape and requiring reforms within the Palestinian Authority.

While the Palestinian Authority welcomed these recognitions, Israeli officials reacted with outrage and called for retaliatory measures.

The UK, Australia, and Canada officially recognized the State of Palestine, major moves coming nearly two years into Zionist regime’s genocidal campaign in Gaza.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, “Today, we recognized the State of Palestine to revive hope for peace between Palestinians and Israelis. We join over 150 countries in recognizing Palestine.”

He added: “We are working to keep the hope of peace and a two-state solution alive.”

However, in a controversial move, Starmer also announced plans to sanction more Hamas figures in the coming weeks, and emphasized that Hamas should play no role in any future governance or security arrangements, a stance that contradicts democratic principles.

Nine countries have confirmed their intention to recognize the State of Palestine ahead of the UN General Assembly: France, the UK, Australia, Canada, Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta, Andorra, and San Marino. Portugal has already announced it will accelerate its recognition, formally recognizing Palestine on 21 September 2025.

By the end of the General Assembly session, 147 of the 193 UN member states are expected to formally recognize the State of Palestine.

With the UK’s recognition and France’s expected move, four out of five permanent members of the UN Security Council will have recognized Palestine, as China and Russia have done so since 1988.