A growing number of countries are pledging to recognize 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.”
Most recently, Australia, Canada and France announced plans to recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly meeting in September. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom has conditionally said it will recognize a Palestinian state if Israel does not meet criteria that include agreeing to a ceasefire in Gaza.
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 blasted the calls for recognition.
It comes amid growing condemnation of the starvation crisis in Gaza caused by Israel’s blockade of humanitarian aid, which has been widely condemned by United Nations agencies and humanitarian groups.
