As global attention turns to New York this Monday, anticipation is high for more nations to recognise the State of Palestine during the United Nations General Assembly. A growing chorus of voices advocates for solidifying the Palestinian right to establish an independent, sovereign state. This push aims to preserve the two-state solution amidst the intense conflict waged by Israel against Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.
- When Did Palestinians First Demand State Recognition?
- When Was the Declaration of Palestinian Statehood First Made?
- How Did Global Recognition of Palestine Begin?
- What About the United Nations?
- Does Increased International Recognition Affect Palestine’s UN Status?
- How Does Foreign Diplomatic Representation in Palestine Function?
- What is the United States’ Position on Recognising a Palestinian State?
- What is the Goal of Recognising a Palestinian State?
- What Does Recognition Mean in Practice?
- How Will Israel Respond to International Recognition of Palestine?
Recent days have seen significant nations, including the UK, Canada, Australia, and Portugal, formally recognise the State of Palestine. This marks a historic development, reflecting a shift in international political sentiment towards the Palestinian cause. This diplomatic momentum raises crucial questions about the implications of these recognitions for the future of the two-state solution and the journey that led to this point.
When Did Palestinians First Demand State Recognition?
The demand for recognising a Palestinian state began after the 1948 Nakba (catastrophe), when Israelis displaced hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their lands. With the establishment of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) in 1964, Palestinians started building internationally and Arab-recognised political representation.
When Was the Declaration of Palestinian Statehood First Made?
On 15 November 1988, approximately a year after the start of the First Palestinian Intifada against Israeli occupation, PLO leader Yasser Arafat declared “the establishment of the State of Palestine” with Jerusalem as its capital, during a Palestinian National Council meeting in Algiers.
How Did Global Recognition of Palestine Begin?
Minutes after Arafat’s declaration, Algeria formally recognised the State of Palestine. Within a week, 40 nations, including China, India, Turkey, and most Arab countries, followed suit. Subsequently, all African nations and the former Soviet bloc recognised Palestine, bringing the total to 78 states that year.
In 2010 and 2011, most Central and Latin American countries recognised the Palestinian state, signaling a move away from the United States, Israel’s ally. Generally, countries that recognise the State of Palestine do not specify its borders. By 2024, more nations joined, with the trend continuing into 2025, bringing the number of countries recognising the State of Palestine to over 150 out of 193 UN member states.
What About the United Nations?
On 29 November 2012, Palestine gained “non-member observer state” status in the UN General Assembly. This followed a vote where 138 states supported the resolution, nine opposed, and 41 abstained. This UN recognition bolstered Palestine’s standing in international organisations like UNESCO and the International Criminal Court. A delegation representing the State of Palestine holds permanent observer status but does not have voting rights in the UN. Palestinian diplomatic missions worldwide are under the control of the internationally recognised Palestinian Authority, representing the Palestinian people.
Does Increased International Recognition Affect Palestine’s UN Status?
Regardless of the number of countries recognising the State of Palestine, full UN membership requires the approval of the Security Council, where the United States, a supporter of Israel, holds veto power.
How Does Foreign Diplomatic Representation in Palestine Function?
Most countries with diplomatic relations with the Palestinian Authority do not open formal embassies. Instead, they establish representative offices. This is primarily due to Israel’s lack of full recognition of a Palestinian state, leading countries to avoid the term “embassy” to prevent diplomatic tensions. These offices perform full diplomatic functions, including political coordination, developmental support, and communication with Palestinian Authority institutions.
Approximately 40 countries maintain consular offices in Ramallah in the West Bank or East Jerusalem, which Israel declared annexed in a move not internationally recognised and which Palestinians seek as their capital. Among these nations are China, Russia, Japan, Germany, Canada, Denmark, Egypt, Jordan, and Tunisia. Some countries, such as South Africa and Qatar, also have offices in Gaza, despite the security and political challenges there.
Other nations without direct representation in Palestine use their embassies in Amman, Jordan, or Cairo, Egypt, as diplomatic representatives to the Palestinian Authority. These include Syria, Iraq, Indonesia, and Malaysia. The European Union has an official mission in Palestine and is a prominent political and financial supporter of the Palestinian Authority. Additionally, organisations such as the United Nations, the Red Cross, and UNESCO maintain active offices in the Palestinian territories.
What is the United States’ Position on Recognising a Palestinian State?
Washington has recognised the Palestinian Authority since its formation in the mid-1990s. Since then, many US presidents have expressed support for the eventual establishment of a Palestinian state, with the exception of Donald Trump. Under his previous and current administrations, US policy has leaned overtly in favour of Israel.
The Trump administration has consistently opposed recognition, and the US position has hardened into explicit opposition to the concept of Palestinian independence itself. In June, current US Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, stated his belief that the United States no longer supports the creation of a Palestinian state.
Recently, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Hamas “will feel more emboldened” by the international effort to recognise Palestine. Rubio’s remarks, made during a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on 15 September, reiterated the Israeli claim that recognising a Palestinian state is a “reward for terrorism” following the 7 October 2023 attacks. Rubio also warned that the US cautioned those advocating for recognition that it might provoke Israel to annex the West Bank. “We told them that it would lead to such reciprocal actions and that it would make a ceasefire [in Gaza] more difficult,” he told reporters in early September.
Washington initiated sanctions against Palestinian officials, including refusing and revoking entry visas, which prevented Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and other Palestinian Authority figures from participating in UN General Assembly proceedings in New York.
Despite this, an August Reuters/Ipsos poll indicated that a majority of Americans (58%) believe all UN member states should recognise the State of Palestine. Also in August, over 12 Democratic members of the House of Representatives signed a letter urging the Trump administration to recognise a Palestinian state.
What is the Goal of Recognising a Palestinian State?
Nations such as the UK state that recognising the Palestinian state “aims to pressure Israel to end its conflict in Gaza, curb the construction of new Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, and recommit to a peace process with the Palestinians.”
According to The Guardian, the UK officially recognising Palestine as an independent state is part of an effort to preserve the vision of a two-state solution where a Palestinian state coexists alongside Israel. There are genuine concerns that Israel is on the verge of annexing the West Bank or rendering Gaza uninhabitable, potentially pushing Palestinians across borders into Jordan or Egypt, which would destroy the possibility of a Palestinian homeland. Recognising Palestine as a state with the right to self-determination is an attempt to demonstrate that Israel cannot simply annex territories that the International Court of Justice has declared illegally occupied.
When Israel requested that the UK not recognise the Palestinian state, London made its recognition conditional on a ceasefire in Gaza, an end to the Israeli conflict, and a commitment to negotiations on a two-state solution, which Tel Aviv rejected.
What Does Recognition Mean in Practice?
Recognition is largely symbolic but allows recognising states to enter into treaties with Palestine and means that the head of the Palestinian mission becomes a fully recognised ambassador. Some argue that it will place a greater burden on recognising states to boycott goods imported from Israel, particularly goods from illegal Israeli settlements within the occupied territories.
Those who view recognition as largely symbolic point to the limited impact of countries like China, India, Russia, and many Arab nations that recognised a Palestinian state decades ago. Without full UN membership or control over its borders, the Palestinian Authority has limited capacity to manage bilateral relations. Israel restricts trade, investment, and educational or cultural exchanges. There are no Palestinian airports, and the West Bank, a landlocked territory, can only be accessed through Israel or via Israeli-controlled borders with Jordan. Israel now controls all access points to the Gaza Strip.
Nonetheless, countries intending to recognise a Palestinian state, as well as the Palestinian Authority itself, assert that “it will be more than a gesture devoid of significance and impact.” Husam Zomlot, the Palestinian Ambassador to the UK, stated that “recognition might lead to partnerships between entities on equal footing.”
Vincent Fean, former British Consul General in Jerusalem, suggested that “recognising a Palestinian state might also require countries to review aspects of their relations with Israel.” He added that in the UK’s case, this could lead to steps such as banning products from Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, although the practical economic impact on Israel would be minimal.
How Will Israel Respond to International Recognition of Palestine?
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described Western recognitions as a “threat to Israel’s existence,” claiming they are an “illogical prize for terrorism.” He affirmed that his government would wage a “diplomatic battle” at the United Nations against these calls.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir considered the recognitions a “reward for murderers” and called for imposing Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank and crushing the Palestinian Authority. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich stated that “the days of Britain and other countries determining our future are over,” demanding a practical response in the form of annexing the West Bank.
The Israeli government has announced its intention to expand Jewish settlement construction in the occupied West Bank as a direct response to international recognitions. This approach represents an escalation on the ground, aiming to impose new realities in defiance of international efforts to realise the two-state solution.
