Following France’s lead, the United Kingdom will recognize the State of Palestine this September, becoming the second G7 member to take this step. This move brings the total number of UN member states recognizing Palestine to 149 out of 193. Italy and the United States are among those that do not formally recognize Palestine.
The decision follows an extraordinary meeting of the UK cabinet, which stated recognition would proceed “if Israel does not accept the ceasefire” in Gaza. France welcomed the UK’s announcement, declaring, “Together, we reopen the prospect of peace.” The UK also began participating in airdrops of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Within the EU, Sweden was the first member state to recognize Palestine in 2014, amidst heightened Israeli-Palestinian clashes in East Jerusalem. Cyprus and several former Soviet bloc nations now in the EU – Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and the former Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia and the Czech Republic) – recognized Palestine in 1998 following the declaration of independence by PLO leader Yasser Arafat. While Prague and Budapest later adjusted their stance after the USSR’s dissolution, both still host Palestinian embassies.
The French and British decisions mirror controversies seen last year when Ireland, Spain, Slovenia, and non-EU Norway granted recognition. Malta recognizes Palestinians’ right to statehood but not the State of Palestine formally, though it indicated readiness to do so last May. Italy, aligning with the US position, maintains that Palestinian statehood should be achieved through direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiations under the two-state solution framework.
Globally, most nations in Asia, Africa, and Latin America formally recognize Palestine. Algeria was the first, recognizing it mere minutes after Arafat’s 1988 declaration, swiftly followed by much of the Arab world, India, Turkey, numerous African states, China, and the Soviet Union (Russia). Russia reaffirmed its recognition under then-President Dmitry Medvedev in 2011. Several South American countries, including Argentina, Brazil, and Chile, recognized Palestine between 2010 and 2011.
In November 2012, the Palestinian flag was raised at the UN in New York after the General Assembly overwhelmingly voted to upgrade Palestine’s status to “non-member observer state.” Last year, the Assembly voted 143-9 (with 25 abstentions, including Italy) on a resolution affirming Palestine is “qualified to become a full UN member state.” Despite non-recognition, the US and Italy, like Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Canada, and Australia, maintain diplomatic relations with the Palestinian National Authority. Canada and Australia have recently indicated they are considering recognition.