The Changing Map of Palestine Recognition

Australia is the latest country to declare its readiness to recognize a Palestinian state. The majority of UN member states—147 out of 193—already recognize the Palestinian state, which currently has observer status at the UN.

Since late July, four more countries—all close allies of the US—have announced that they will join them. First, France stated that it would recognize a Palestinian state in September, and in the following days, Britain and Canada announced that they are also ready to do the same. The most recent is Australia, whose prime minister announced that he would proceed with recognition at the annual UN General Assembly next month.

Britain has stated that it will move in this direction if Israel does not agree to a ceasefire with Hamas in Gaza by September, while Canada has linked the final decision to political changes in the Palestinian Authority.

According to analysts, these announcements reflect deep dissatisfaction with Israel's handling of the war in Gaza, which has caused the deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinians and left approximately two million people in conditions of extreme deprivation and hunger.

Last year, several more European countries—including Spain, Ireland, and Norway—recognized a Palestinian state. Among the 32 NATO member countries, 14 have already recognized Palestine.