Palestinian statehood: Where countries stand when it comes to recognition

Amid Israel's genocide in Gaza, the United Nations General Assembly will again discuss accepting Palestine as a full member

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Country by country, the world is becoming increasingly receptive to the idea of Palestinian statehood.

Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) leader Yasser Arafat first declared an independent Palestine on 15 November 1988, including the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem.

At once, scores of states, notably across the Middle East and Africa, began to recognise Palestine, often in collaboration with regional neighbours.

Now, amid Israel’s genocide in Gaza, more countries are formalising recognition ahead of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York next month.

Full membership of the UN is an essential qualification for statehood. To be accepted, a country must gain a two-thirds majority from the 193-member UNGA - approximately 128 nations. Palestine currently has support from 147 members.

But it will first need approval from the majority of the UN Security Council (UNSC), including all five permanent members: the US, the UK, France, Russia and China.

Several countries, including the US, are still opposed. Others back a Two-State Solution but say that Palestine is not yet ready to be recognised. An even smaller number initially recognised statehood but have since withdrawn it, or else their position is unclear.

Below, Middle East Eye looks at how individual countries stand on the recognition of Palestine.

Palestine and the G20

The G20 is a forum of the world's 20 key economies from all continents, along with the European Union and the African Union. In relation to Palestine, it gives a snapshot of the thinking among the world's most powerful nations.

To date, 10 G20 members have recognised Palestinian statehood. Six did so in 1988, namely India, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, as well as UNSC permanent members USSR (now Russia) and China.

They were joined in 1995 by South Africa, then led by Nelson Mandela, following the country's first apartheid-free elections the previous year. In 2010, Brazil and then Argentina recognised Palestine. Mexico did so in 2025.

At the time of writing, a further four of G20 nations have said they will recognise Palestinian statehood at the UN General Assembly in September.

On 24 July, France signalled its intent, becoming the first G7 nation to do so. Paris' announcement was followed on 29 July by one from the UK (albeit with conditions attached), then Canada on 30 July and Australia on 11 August.

But five G20 members have yet to offer recognition. Historically, the United States, as Israel’s biggest ally, has always blocked Palestinian statehood at the UN. Given that it also has the power of veto at the UNSC, such opposition presents a huge hurdle for Palestinian aspirations.

After Canada announced it could recognise Palestine, President Donald Trump said on Truth Social : “Wow! Canada has just announced that it is backing statehood for Palestine. That will make it very hard for us to make a Trade Deal with them.”

Germany, Israel’s biggest European ally, has criticised Israel's war on Gaza, including a ban on arms exports.

But on 26 August, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Germany would not back statehood at the UNGA, adding: “We do not currently consider the conditions for state recognition to be met in any way.”

In Italy, Prime Minister Georgia Meloni said in an interview with La Repubblica on 26 July that recognition would be “counterproductive” and added: “If something that doesn’t exist is recognised on paper, the problem could appear to be solved when it isn’t."

South Korea regards the US as a major ally amid tension with North Korea, and is also still reeling from the attempted imposition of martial law in 2024. Foreign Minister Cho Hyun made a much-anticipated official visit to the US in July.

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun meets with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on 31 July 2025 (AFP)

Asked about potential recognition from Seoul, Cho told the Washington Post on 3 August: “We feel that we are vulnerable in the changing situation in Northeast Asia, and frankly speaking, we do not have the luxury of looking at things that have been happening in other regions of the world.”

Japan has also pushed back on speculation about its imminent recognition of Palestine and believes the moment has yet to come. Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya said on 30 July: “We will continue to thoroughly assess the suitable timing and measures for recognising Palestine as a state.”

Palestine and MENA

Unsurprisingly, Arab nations in the Middle East and North Africa were among the first to recognise Palestine.

The very first was Algeria on the same day that Yasser Arafat, leader of the Palestinian government-in-exile in Algiers, declared the independence of the State of Palestine on behalf of the PLO.

A Palestinian man looks at a copy of the Palestinian National Charter of the Declaration of Independence written by Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish in Algeria in 1988 (AFP)

Others included Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Jordan, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, UAE, Tunisia, Turkey, and Yemen. Iran followed in early 1989.

In 1989, Lebanon recognised the Palestinian Declaration of Independence by poet Mahmoud Darwish. But it did not establish formal diplomatic relations with Palestine until 2008, after the reopening of the PLO office in West Beirut, which had been destroyed during the Israeli occupation in 1982.

The move came during the tenure of Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, a key advocate of the Saudi-led Arab Peace Initiative, which aimed to normalise Arab states' relations with Israel in exchange for an Israeli military withdrawal from the occupied Palestinian territories.

In 2011, Syria and South Sudan offered recognition. Damascus was much slower to do so than neighbouring states: the PLO often had strained relations with the now-toppled al-Assad regime, which rejected the 1993 Oslo Accords.

Palestine and Europe

Support from Europe for Palestinian statehood has been slower compared to much of the rest of the world, in part due to the backing that the continent has given to Israel since it was founded in 1948.

In 1988, recognition came from eastern Europe, with Palestine recognised by the then-Communist states of Albania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland and Romania.

The USSR also recognised Palestine: when it dissolved in 1991, the successor states of Ukraine and Belarus subsequently retained Palestinian recognition. Serbia did likewise after the breakup of Yugoslavia.

Yet not all eastern European countries did similarly. Czechoslovakia, for example, recognised Palestine in 1988. The country was then divided into Slovakia and the Czech Republic in 1992, but while the former retained recognition, the latter did not.

Cyprus also recognised Palestine in 1988. It was joined by the newly independent states of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Georgia in 1992, and Montenegro in 2006.

What is 'Greater Israel'?

In December 2011, Iceland became the first western European state to recognise Palestine after it had been admitted to Unesco. Foreign Minister Ossur Skarphedinsson said: “Iceland didn’t only talk the talk, we walked the walk.” In October 2014, Sweden's new centre-left government did likewise.

On 22 May 2025, Spain, Ireland and Norway jointly announced recognition. They were followed by Slovenia on 3 June.

The subsequent promise of recognition by France and the UK drew anger from Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on X: "Starmer rewards Hamas's monstrous terrorism & punishes its victims. A jihadist state on Israel's border TODAY will threaten Britain TOMORROW"

What about the rest of Europe?

Some countries, such as Malta, have also signalled intent to recognise within weeks. In Portugal, the government of Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said in a statement on 31 July that it needed to consult with the president and parliament.

In Croatia, debate is ongoing, with President Zoran Milanovic in June urging recognition. And in Belgium, the office of Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot said that the government will decide in early September.

But others, while calling for a Two-State Solution, are less supportive.

Denmark currently holds the presidency of the EU Council and has backed a Two-State Solution. But Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said on 30 July that immediate recognition of Palestine would only be symbolic and change little on the ground, a stance criticised by Norway.

In the Netherlands, Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp on 30 July ruled out immediately recognising Palestine: “At this moment, there is no process underway. Recognising a Palestinian state now will not make much of a difference on the ground.”

During an official visit to Israel and the occupied Palestinian Territories in July, Austria's Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger affirmed Austrian commitment to a Two-State Solution but went no further. Likewise, Switzerland stopped short of recognition.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog holds a photo from a video showing Israeli hostage Rom Braslavski, during a joint press conference with Latvia's President Edgars Rinkevics in Riga, Latvia, on 5 August 2025 (AFP) — Israeli President Isaac Herzog holds a photo from a video showing Israeli hostage Rom Braslavski, during a joint press conference with Latvia's President Edgars Rinkevics in Riga, Latvia, on 5 August (CREDIT)

In Finland, the recognition debate has split the coalition government. Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said on 9 August that recognition would come "when the time is right" and that the issue needed more discussion in government. President Alexander Stubb has previously signalled he is in favour.

The three Baltic states, which hosted a visit by Israeli President Isaac Herzog in early August, have also yet to offer recognition. Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal has said “there is currently no state to additionally recognise”. Likewise, Latvia says it has no plans, nor does Lithuania, where public support is weaker than in western Europe.

There has also been no recognition from Moldova, which said in 2019 it would move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, although it has yet to do so.

Many in Greece have opposed the genocide in Gaza. But while, in 2015, the Greek parliament approved recognition, the vote was non-binding, and the decision has yet to be implemented.

Hungary, which recognised Palestine in 1988, has become a staunch Israel supporter during the tenure of far-right Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has held office since 2010. And while it has not officially rescinded recognition, its position is unclear.

In May 2024, for instance, Hungary was one of nine countries to vote against a non-binding UNGA resolution advocating Palestinian membership. It also issued a statement criticising other states for unilaterally recognising Palestine in 2025.

Palestine and Africa

In the decades after World War Two, many countries in Africa gained independence from their former colonial occupiers, and were thus quick in 1988 to recognise Palestinian statehood.

The list of nations is long: Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat greets Nelson Mandela in Rafah in October 1999. The South African leader backed Palestinian statehood (AFP)

They were joined in 1989 by Benin, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Rwanda and then Eswatini (1991), Malawi (1998), the Ivory Coast (2008), and Liberia (2011).

Cameroon is one of only two African states yet to recognise Palestine (the other is Eritrea). The Guardian Post, the country's only English-language news site, attributes this to President Paul Biya, who has held power for more than four decades, during which he has strengthened ties with Israel, not least militarily.

Palestine and Asia-Pacific

In 1988, Palestine was recognised by Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Mongolia, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Seychelles, Sri Lanka and Vietnam. The Philippines and Vanuatu did so the following year, with Thailand in 2012.

Following the collapse of the USSR in the early 1990s, newly independent countries in Central Asia likewise recognised Palestine.

These included Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan in 1992; Tajikistan and Uzbekistan in 1994; and Kyrgyzstan in 1995.

Armenia recognised Palestine in 2024: in recent years, it has had mixed relations with Israel, amid tension over Israel's support for Azerbaijan, the mistreatment of Armenians in Israel, and Israel's ambivalence towards recognition of the Armenian Genocide (which in August 2025 Netanyahu said he recognised).

New Zealand has yet to follow its neighbour, Australia and officially recognise Palestine. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said on 30 July that while it believed very strongly in a Two-State Solution, it wanted to focus more on aid relief. More recently, Luxon has been more critical of Netanyahu, saying: "I think he has lost the plot."

Fiji does not recognise Palestine, and has emerged as an ally of Israel: in 2024, it criticised the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) advisory opinion that Israel's long-standing occupation of Palestine was unlawful.

Singapore is also yet to officially recognise Palestine, although it said in November that it is "prepared in principle to do so". The city-state has also committed to launching two state-building initiatives with the Palestinian Authority from 2026, including training Palestinian civilian police.

Besides Singapore, Myanmar is the only south-east Asian state yet to recognise Palestine. Ruled by a military junta since 2021, it has been accused of state-led genocide against its Rohingya Muslim minority, and has announced no plans to strengthen diplomatic ties with Palestine.

Papua New Guinea has strong ties with Israel, and at the UN voted against a ceasefire in December 2023. In September 2023, the country moved its embassy to Jerusalem at an opening attended by Netanyahu.

Papua New Guinea PM James Marape and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu open the Papua New Guinea Embassy in Jerusalem in September 2023 (GPO)

Several much smaller states - or micronations - including Pacific islands such as Palau, Nauru, Micronesia and Tuvalu, have yet to recognise Palestine. At the UN, where all members have equal voting rights when it comes to admitting new states, such micronations can exercise power disproportionate to their real-world influence.

Some observers have speculated that these countries are practising “chequebook diplomacy”, where votes on contentious UN proposals are exchanged for foreign direct investment and aid.

In late 2017, for example, Israel gifted Nauru a sewage plant just two weeks before a key UN vote on the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Nauru was one of just nine countries to side with Israel.

Palestine and the Americas

Central and South America have been quicker to recognise Palestinian statehood than neighbours in North America, such as Canada and the US.

First 1988 were Cuba and Nicaragua, respectively ruled at the time by leftists Fidel Castro and Daniel Ortega.

Paraguay followed in 2005, although it has strengthened its ties with Israel in recent years, including opening a new embassy in Jerusalem in December 2024.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (right) meets with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Salvador, Brazil, in November 2009 (AFP)

Costa Rica recognised Palestine in 2008 and the Dominican Republic and Venezuela in 2009, amid Israel's then-war on Gaza.

But the most significant acceptance of Palestine from a Latin American state came in December 2010, when Brazil gave official recognition following a request from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

By the end of that year, Brazil had been joined by Argentina, Bolivia, and Ecuador; and in 2011 by Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Chile (home to the largest number of Palestinians outside MENA), Dominica, El Salvador, Grenada, Honduras, Peru, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

In December 2011, Mercosur, the South American economic bloc, signed a free-trade agreement with Palestine. Since then, recognition has come from Guatemala and Haiti (2013), Saint Lucia (2015), Colombia (2018), and Saint Kitts and Nevis (2019).

Support has also continued to grow among the membership of Caricom, a political bloc which represents the interests of Caribbean states. Amid condemnation of Israel's policies in Gaza, Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and the Bahamas recognised Palestine in late April and early May 2024.

This leaves Panama as the only country in Central and South America not to recognise Palestine. It has been a long-standing ally of Israel since its creation in 1948, has had its police trained in Israel, and voted against Palestine having non-member “observer state” status at the UN in 2012.

It also wants to keep US onside over ownership of the Panama Canal, on which Washington has set its sights and which has been repeatedly highlighted by Trump.

Israel's genocide in Gaza

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Palestinian statehood: Where countries stand when it comes to recognition

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