Although Palestine has been widely recognized as a state internationally, many Western countries maintain that they will support Palestinian statehood only as part of a comprehensive peace deal with Israel.
France has become the first G7 nation to declare its plan to recognize Palestinian statehood.
President Emmanuel Macron announced on X that France will officially formalize the decision at the UN General Assembly in September. He also emphasized that the immediate priority is achieving a ceasefire in Gaza between Israel and the militant group Hamas.
Israel and the United States strongly criticized France’s decision, arguing it would legitimize Hamas. Both countries—along with the European Union and several others—have officially designated Hamas as a terrorist organization.
In contrast, France’s move was praised by Spain, which, alongside Norway and Ireland, recognized Palestinian statehood the previous year. The decision also received support from various Middle Eastern countries and was welcomed by the Palestinian Authority, which governs the occupied West Bank.
While the majority of countries around the world already recognize the State of Palestine, some influential powers remain opposed. On May 11, 2024, 143 out of 193 United Nations General Assembly members voted in favor of a resolution supporting Palestinian statehood.
Palestine currently holds non-member observer status at the UN, but full membership requires approval by the UN Security Council. In April 2024, the United States—a permanent member with veto power—blocked a draft resolution that would have recommended granting Palestine full membership.
The Road to Palestinian Statehood Recognition
France is set to become the 148th country to officially recognize Palestine as a state. Nearly half of these recognitions came after November 1988, when the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) formally declared an independent Palestinian state. Early endorsements included communist nations like the Soviet Union and China, as well as non-aligned countries such as Yugoslavia and India.
Recognition steadily expanded. In the final decade of the 20th century, many Central Asian countries, along with South Africa, the Philippines, and Rwanda, established diplomatic ties with Palestine. In the early 2000s, several South American nations—including Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Venezuela—formally recognized Palestinian statehood.
In 2011, the Palestinian Authority (PA) sought full United Nations membership, but the bid was rejected by the Security Council. Still, mounting diplomatic efforts by the PA, combined with growing global frustration over the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process, led more than a dozen countries—including Chile, Uruguay, and Peru—to recognize Palestine as a sovereign state.
That same year, Palestine achieved a significant milestone by becoming a full member of UNESCO. Iceland also made history in 2011 as the first Western European country to recognize Palestine, paving the way for Sweden to follow suit in 2014.
Recent Developments
In 2024, the Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and Barbados officially recognized the State of Palestine. The previous year, in June 2023, Mexico expressed its full support for Palestinian statehood and soon after took steps to establish a full embassy in the Palestinian territories, granting it all the standard diplomatic privileges and immunities.
Back in 2018, Colombia recognized Palestine as a sovereign nation just before President Juan Manuel Santos left office. Since the onset of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, Colombia—despite exporting $1 billion in goods to Israel in 2023—has significantly reduced its political and economic ties with the country. Colombian President Gustavo Petro has since severed relations with Israel and, earlier this week, ordered the opening of an embassy in Ramallah, located in the occupied West Bank.
The Western Perspective
The United States, Canada, Australia, most Western European countries, along with allies such as Japan and South Korea, support the idea of an independent Palestinian state coexisting alongside Israel as part of a two-state solution. However, many of these nations insist they will only formally recognize Palestinian statehood as part of a comprehensive peace agreement.
Still, there may be movement within Europe. Hugh Lovatt, a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), told DW that other European nations could potentially follow France’s lead. He pointed to Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, and possibly Portugal as likely candidates.
Germany, however—widely regarded as one of Israel’s most steadfast allies in the EU—is unlikely to alter its stance. As Lovatt noted, “Never say never, but I think the Germans have made it very clear that they will be among the last to recognize the State of Palestine.”
