Canada-born MK blasts former home for move to recognize Palestinian state

Canada’s government has betrayed its principles by agreeing to recognize a Palestinian state, declares Canadian-born MK Dan Illouz (Likud).

“By endorsing recognition of a Palestinian state – less than two years after the October 7th massacre – you are rewarding the bloodiest antisemitic atrocity of our generation. You are handing political gains to those who butchered children in their beds and raped women in front of their families,” Illouz writes in an open letter to Canadian lawmakers in which he calls on them to “refuse to let Canada’s name be used to legitimize terror.”

Canadian-born MK @dillouz writes to his Canadian parliamentary counterparts, denounces pending recognition of a Palestinian state as "a historic betrayal." pic.twitter.com/wJyTlo17tc

— Sam Sokol (@SamuelSokol) July 31, 2025

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced on Wednesday that his country will recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly in September if the Palestinian Authority commits to “much-needed reforms.”

Calling recognition of a Palestinian state “a prize for terrorism,” Illouz, who heads the Knesset’s Israel-Canada Parliamentary Friendship Group, asserts that “if any other country had suffered what Israel suffered, no Western government would dare propose rewarding the perpetrators. But when it comes to Jews, suddenly the rules change.”

“This is not just a moral failure. It is a strategic one,” he continues. “This is not an Israeli issue. It is a civilizational one. And Canada – the Canada I grew up in – must decide which side of that fight it’s on. As head of the Israel – Canada Parliamentary Friendship Group, I say this with deep sorrow: your government’s move is not an act of friendship. It is a historic betrayal. One that will be remembered.”