President Donald Trump believes that recognizing Palestinian statehood would be rewarding the militant group Hamas, and so has no intention of doing so, a White House official said on Wednesday, after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced his country's decision on the issue.
Carney told reporters that Canada intends to recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations in September.
“As the president stated, he would be rewarding Hamas if he recognizes a Palestinian state, and he doesn’t think they should be rewarded," a White House official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"So he is not going to do that. President Trump’s focus is on getting people fed (in Gaza).”
The official did not respond to a question on whether the U.S. was given advance notice of Carney's announcement. France and the UK have also indicated plans to ultimately recognize a free and independent Palestine.
But the notion is in direct conflict with the aims and philosophy of America's close ally Israel, currently embroiled in a war in Gaza following the terror group Hamas' October 2023 attack on the Israeli people. Millions of Palestinians occupy the Gaza Strip.
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