Canadian prime minister announces $100 million in aid for Palestinians

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced on Tuesday $100 million in aid for Palestinians. He stressed that $80 million would go to humanitarian assistance and $20 million to peace and security efforts.

“In Gaza, the great humanitarian suffering continues,” Carney said on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

“On the other hand, Israelis continue to live under existential threats from Hamas, but also from Iran and its allies,” he added, warning that international support for the two-state solution would mean nothing if these conditions continue.

Carney announced the funding ahead of his meeting with British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, French President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan on the two-state solution and the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2803, the US-backed plan to end the regional conflict.

The announcement came two weeks after Canada, France and Britain joined other countries in declaring they would take steps to stop trade in products originating from Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

Canada officially recognized the Palestinian state last year, departing from its previous position that recognition should follow a negotiated agreement between Israel and Palestinian leaders.

Carney had said at the time that settlement expansion and the war in Gaza had “seriously undermined” the prospects for such an agreement.

In June, Canada announced a separate $100 million funding package to support organizations providing international assistance to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, mainly to meet emergency needs for food, medical care and other humanitarian needs.