BREAKING: UK, Canada and Australia recognise Palestine

Posted by Geoffrey Clarfield.

This from Andrew Fox, writing in his own substack, is worth reading carefully.

There is more to it than meets the eye

Today, (Sunday 21st) Canada, the UK and Australia have formally recognised the State of Palestine. It goes without saying that the declaration of Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank is likely to follow. Hamas is now further from agreeing to a deal than ever, as they are rewarded for 7^th October and riding high in Palestinian polling. Peace in the Middle East looks further away than ever, thanks to this foolish and premature move.

There is more to it, though. How did these three countries align and synchronise in this manner?

An influential progressive think tank, aligned with Qatar’s agenda, has been quietly orchestrating a significant shift in Western policy towards Israel and Palestine. The Center for American Progress (CAP), a Washington, D.C.–based NGO described by critics as a “pro-Qatar” organisation, has used its global network to encourage allied governments to recognise a Palestinian state and adopt more hardline positions against Israel. Under its international initiative Global Progress Action (GPA), CAP has brought together progressive leaders from Canada, Australia, the UK, and beyond at high-level summits. Within months of these coordinated gatherings, left-leaning governments across several countries publicly announced plans to recognise Palestine formally, echoing talking points remarkably similar to those crafted by CAP’s policy arm.

This orchestrated campaign constitutes a diplomatic coup. It advances Qatar’s interests by isolating Israel, but it also produces dangerous side effects.

The main vehicle for CAP/GPA’s influence has been a series of Global Progress Action Summits. These glamorous high-level gatherings bring together prominent progressive politicians, strategists, and activists from around the world. At the 2024 summit in Montréal, for instance, global progressive elites assembled under CAP’s guidance to “collaborate on bold new ideas” for governance. The key figures alone demonstrate the network’s reach: Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shared the stage with former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Mark Carney (then a UN envoy and Canada 2020 think-tank chair, now Canada’s Prime Minister). Also present was Paul Ovenden, Director of Political Strategy at 10 Downing Street until last week – a top aide to British Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer, reflecting that party’s support. CAP Action’s CEO Patrick Gaspard and Canada 2020’s CEO Braeden Caley (a key summit organiser) explicitly described the gathering as an “essential” meeting of the “global progressive movement” to strategise against common adversaries

These summits serve as transnational war rooms for the progressive left. Behind closed doors, CAP’s operatives share polling, messaging, and policy templates, aligning strategies across continents. It is no coincidence that senior campaign operatives from multiple countries are deeply involved in GPA’s activities.

In Britain, Starmer’s team has relied on Paul Ovenden (the No. 10 strategy chief who joined GPA forums) to introduce CAP-endorsed tactics into UK Labour’s playbook. Through these “GPA partners” embedded at the highest levels of Canadian, Australian, and British politics, CAP quietly influences the direction of left-wing parties, especially on foreign policy towards the Middle East.

One striking pattern emerged today: within minutes, progressive-led governments in Canada, the UK, and Australia all recognised a Palestinian state, a policy long championed by the far left but historically resisted by the political mainstream. The coordination was palpable.

Thus, within a few weeks, Ottawa, London, and Canberra all aligned behind the same historic policy shift that was enacted today: immediate recognition of Palestine, conditional on certain criteria, as a means to apply pressure on Israel. They were soon joined by others, including New Zealand and several European states, in what was described as a wave of historic global momentum for Palestinian statehood. It is hard to imagine such coordination occurring by chance. All signs suggest that CAP’s Global Progress network facilitated this wave:

In essence, CAP provided intellectual ammunition and moral cover for friendly governments to take unprecedented steps against Israel. By May 2024, CAP had established the rationale; by mid-2025, its GPA allies were implementing it. The CAP–GPA network thus served as a policy transmission belt, facilitating a progression from think-tank white papers to coordinated action by multiple national governments, all in pursuit of a progressive realignment on Israel-Palestine.

What we are witnessing is the culmination of a polemical grand strategy orchestrated by a supposedly progressive NGO that is anything but benign. The Center for American Progress and its Global Progress Action network have exploited the goodwill of the left (its desire for peace, justice, and human rights) to advance a highly polemical, one-sided agenda scripted in Doha. This dangerous pro-Qatar NGO has succeeded in coordinating Western recognition of Palestine, an outcome Qatar’s regime has long desired, by co-opting influential voices in Canada, Australia, the UK, and beyond. In doing so, CAP and GPA have helped install an anti-Israel orthodoxy in progressive governments, strengthening the influence of left-wing elites under the guise of moral principles while marginalising more moderate or pro-Israel perspectives (indeed, far-left fringe parties were electorally crushed as their platforms were absorbed by the mainstream left, which then moved even further left).

The repercussions are profound. A key Western ally, Israel, finds itself diplomatically under siege not only from traditional opponents but also from friends who have embraced CAP’s narrative. Western unity has fractured: while the United States (under Trump in 2025) stood resolutely with Israel, its allies in Ottawa, London, and Canberra have broken ranks, emboldening groups like Hamas by signalling international impatience with Israel. Qatar’s propaganda could not have achieved this alone; CAP provided the professionalism and networks to turn it into reality. As a final indignity, Jewish communities in those very countries have been left to bear the brunt, facing increased threats and violence as antisemitic actors exploit the new political climate.

It is time to expose this cynical game.

The lesson here is clear: beware the “friendly” NGO that talks of peace but takes sides in a brutal conflict. By supporting the discrediting of Israel, CAP and Global Progress Action have shown their true colours. They are not defenders of liberal values but agents of division. The free nations of the world must recognise this and adjust accordingly. Supporting a two-state solution and Palestinian rights does not have to mean undermining Israel’s existence or condoning hatred. It is possible to promote justice without bowing to Qatar.

Those truly committed to peace and liberal democracy must root out the toxic influence of groups like CAP/GPA from the halls of power. Transparency and accountability are key: voters deserve to know which foreign players and ideologues are influencing their leaders. Only then can we ensure that “global progress” is more than a marketing slogan: that it actually means progress for all people, and not the agenda of an authoritarian benefactor hidden in the shadows

The entire article is here