With several countries recognising the Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), the list of nations recognising the state has grown to 157.
Some of the countries to recognise the Palestine state on Tuesday, September 23, during the 80th session of the UNGA are France, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Andorra and Belgium.
On September 20, countries including the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and Portugal announced that they recognise the country.
The list of countries recognising a Palestinian state is increasing at a time when Israel is planning a military expansion in the West Bank. The UK’s decision to recognise Palestine came over 100 years after the Balfour declaration backed “the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people” and 77 years after the creation of Israel in the British Mandate of Palestine.
While declaring the UK’s recognition on September 20, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, “In the face of the growing horror in the Middle East, we are acting to keep alive the possibility of peace and of a two-state solution.”
List of countries that recognise Palestine
At present, the State of Palestine is recognised as a sovereign nation by 157 of the 193 UN member states, representing 81 percent of the international community. Click here to find the full list (as of June 2024).
Since the passage of time, over 150 nations have formally acknowledged the State of Palestine. Initial recognition was prompted soon after the Palestine Liberation Organisation made a statement of statehood on 15 November 1988, with the first nation to do so being Algeria, and then others in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, like Ghana, Togo, Zimbabwe, Chad, Laos, and Uganda.
In recent years, a number of Western states have also joined, including France, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta, Andorra, and Monaco, a growing international consensus backing Palestinian statehood and a resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through peace.
In addition, it is recognised by the Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City, which holds UN non-member observer status.
Significance of the recognition
As more countries recognise Palestinian statehood, the besieged country’s global standing is strengthened. It boosts Palestine’s capacity to hold Israeli authorities accountable for their occupation, and increases pressure on Western powers to work towards a two-state solution.
This will also allow Palestine to take the following steps:
Open embassies with full diplomatic status,
Engage in trade agreements,
Gain support at international forums,
Approach the International Criminal Court (ICC).
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