At the 80th UNGA session, France, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Andorra, and Belgium formally recognized a Palestinian state.
As Israel expands its settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank and intensifies its genocide in Gaza, they join Canada, Australia, Portugal, and the United Kingdom, which announced its recognition on Sunday.
More than 100 years after the Balfour Declaration endorsed “the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people” and 77 years after Israel was established in the British Mandate of Palestine, the UK made the decision to formally recognize a Palestinian state.
We are taking action to preserve the possibility of peace and a two-state solution in the wake of the Middle East’s growing horror, according to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in a video statement on Sunday.
In the wake of the Gaza war, which has claimed the lives of more than 65, 000 Palestinians, the declarations by major Western powers, which have long been seen as close allies of Israel, highlight its growing international isolation.
Which nations have recognized Palestine in the past?
157 of the 193 UN member states, which make up 81 percent of the global community, currently recognize the State of Palestine as a sovereign nation. Additionally, Vatican City, which is the Catholic Church’s governing body, and the Holy See, who both have UN non-member observer status, acknowledge it.
The table below includes a list of these nations:
What is meant by recognition?
Recognizing Palestine improves its reputation globally, strengthens its ability to hold Israeli authorities accountable for their occupation, and puts pressure on Western powers to pursue a two-state solution. It would specifically permit Palestinians to:
- full diplomatic status in open embassies
- abide by trade agreements
- Obtain assistance at global forums
- Approach the ICC (International Criminal Court).
Recognition won’t work:
- Stop the Gaza war.
- Stop the brutal military occupation by Israel.
Recognizing Israel’s position in the occupied territory is largely unaffected by its immediate impact, but it does show that there is a lot of international support for Palestinian statehood.
The recognition of Palestine is only a first step, according to Martin Griffiths, director of Mediation Group International.
He urged nations like the UK to uphold their obligations under the International Court of Justice by facilitating humanitarian aid, easing blockades, and lowering arms sales. “This is the entry point, but it’s not the end point,” he said.
He added that governments must also support reforms to “fit for purpose,” citing efforts by France, Saudi Arabia, Norway, and Spain.
It offers hope, Griffiths said, but it doesn’t necessarily provide a future.
These nations, along with Mexico, celebrated 11 additional recognitions in 2025, the 20th since Israel’s occupation of Gaza in October 2023, a sign of a growing wave of global recognition for Palestine.
Israel’s response
Danny Danon, the UN ambassador to Israel, described the UN summit on Palestinian statehood as a “circus” and retaliated against Palestinian claims to support Palestinian statehood.
In his response to the UK’s recognition of Palestine on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated that statement, calling it a “prize” for Hamas.
A Palestinian state “will not exist,” he added.
Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister:
Following the horrifying October 7 massacre, “you are rewarding terror with an enormous prize,” I say to those leaders who are recognizing a Palestinian state. https: //t. co/4YmFyzC68S
A brief history of Palestinian recognition
An independent State of Palestine with Jerusalem as its capital was established on November 15, 1988, during the first Intifada led by Yasser Arafat, the PLO’s chairman.
More than 80 nations, primarily from the Global South, including those in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Arab world, quickly gained recognition. The former Soviet bloc’s states were the majority of the recognitions at the time.
The Oslo Accords, which established a Palestinian state alongside Israel, were the first official negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis on September 13, 1993. However, that outcome was never achieved.
Palestine’s status as a “non-member observer state” was approved by the UNGA in a overwhelmingly positive vote in 2012, with 138 in favor, 9 against, and 41 abstentions. Palestine is unable to cast a vote on resolutions, but it can attend meetings and speak in debates.
Only the US, China, France, France, and the UK, the five permanent UNSC members, have veto power. They won World War II by being the primary winners of this status in 1945. Regardless of greater international support, any one of them can obstruct a resolution.
Despite widespread international support, the US vetoed a resolution that the United States had supported on April 18, 2024, preventing Palestine from becoming a full member of the UN.
The US has vetoed UNSC objections against Israel at least 50 times since joining the UN. Because of its consistent use, measures addressing Israeli military actions, illegal settlements, or the occupation of Palestinian territory have frequently been blocked.
Source: Aljazeera
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