PARIS: More than 145 United Nations member states now recognise the State of Palestine following recent announcements from Britain, Australia, Canada and Portugal.
France, Belgium, Luxembourg and Malta are expected to join this growing list during a summit on the two-state solution chaired by France and Saudi Arabia at UN headquarters in New York.
The Palestinian leadership originally proclaimed statehood unilaterally in 1988, with Algeria becoming the first nation to extend official recognition minutes after the declaration.
Russia, all Arab nations, nearly all African and Latin American countries, and most Asian nations including India and China already recognise Palestinian statehood.
Israel currently occupies the West Bank while the Gaza Strip lies largely in ruins after nearly two years of conflict.
At least 45 countries including Israel, the United States and their allies continue to withhold recognition of a Palestinian state.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government completely rejects the concept of an independent Palestine.
Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Cameroon and Panama are among nations that do not recognise Palestine, alongside most Oceanic countries.
Europe remains deeply divided on the issue with former Eastern-bloc nations like Hungary and the Czech Republic withholding bilateral recognition despite historical ties.
Western and northern European nations were previously united in non-recognition until Sweden broke ranks in 2014, followed by Norway, Spain, Ireland and Slovenia in 2024.
International law professor Romain Le Boeuf describes recognition of Palestinian statehood as occupying a complex space between political and juridical domains.
States maintain complete freedom in choosing when and how to extend recognition, with no central registry tracking these diplomatic actions.
Recognition carries primarily symbolic and political weight rather than creating statehood, though three-quarters of UN members now affirm Palestine meets statehood criteria.
Franco-British law professor Philippe Sands notes that recognition essentially places Palestine and Israel on equal footing under international law. – AFP