Source: CNN
A growing number of countries have recognized a Palestinian state, with more than 145 nations now joining the call for international recognition.
Most of the nations that recognize a State of Palestine did so in 1988, following the Palestine National Council’s (PNC) declaration of the state. Many other non-Western states followed suit in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s.
In the spring of 2024, more European and Caribbean nations recognized a Palestinian state, including Barbados, Ireland, Jamaica, Norway and Spain. At the time, Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “to listen to the world and stop the humanitarian catastrophe we are seeing in Gaza.”
Canada and the United Kingdom announced formal recognition of the State of Palestine days before the United Nations General Assembly Meeting in September, making them the first of the Group of Seven (G7) nations to do so. Australia and Portugal followed suit.
That mirrors the decisions by France, Luxembourg and Malta, which recognized the State of Palestine at a UN summit. Belgium also recognized a Palestinian state at that summit, but said it can only take legal effect if Hamas is removed and hostages are returned.
Those recent announcements leave the United States increasingly isolated from some of its closest allies on the issue of Israel and how it has conducted its military campaign and aid restrictions.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry has “rejected” the European nations’ recent calls for recognition, calling them a “reward to Hamas” that undermine efforts to reach a ceasefire.
US President Donald Trump has also criticized the calls for recognition.
It comes after a strong backlash against Israel’s incursion into Gaza City this week, as well as widespread condemnation of the starvation crisis in Gaza caused by Israel’s blockade of humanitarian aid, which has been widely denounced by UN agencies and humanitarian groups.