The majority of countries on the European continent now recognize the state of Palestine, following the official announcements made yesterday, Monday, from the UN podium by France, Belgium, Luxembourg and Malta, after almost two years of war in the Gaza Strip.
The following are clarifications on what the diplomatic recognition of this state, which was declared by the exiled Palestinian leadership in 1988, means, at a time when Israel is occupying the West Bank, while the Gaza Strip has been almost completely destroyed.
Which countries recognize or want to recognize the state of Palestine?
Almost 80% of UN member countries.
According to AFP data, at least 151 of the 193 UN member states already recognize the state of Palestine. AFP has not received recent confirmation from three African countries.
Six European countries – France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta, Andorra and Monaco – officially recognized the state of Palestine on Monday. On Sunday, Britain and Canada – the first G7 countries to do so – made a similar announcement, as did Australia and Portugal.
Russia, the Arab countries, almost all of Africa and Latin America, and the vast majority of Asian countries, including India and China, are already among the countries that recognize a Palestinian state.
Algeria became the first country, on November 15, 1988, to recognize the state of Palestine immediately after the relevant announcement from Algiers by the historic leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Yasser Arafat.
Dozens of countries followed shortly after, while a second wave of recognition came 20 years later.
The war in the Gaza Strip, which broke out after Hamas' unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, led to a new series of recognitions, already from 19 countries.
Who does not recognize the state of Palestine?
At least 39 countries, led by the US and Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu completely rejects the idea of creating a Palestinian state, and in 2024 the Israeli parliament passed a resolution against its creation.
The state of Palestine is also not recognized by countries such as Japan, South Korea in Asia, Cameroon in Africa, Panama in Central America, and most countries in Oceania.
Until recently, the European continent was the most divided, almost in two. Until the 2010s, the only countries that recognized the state of Palestine were Turkey and the countries of the former Soviet bloc. However, Hungary and the Czech Republic now consider that they have not made bilateral recognition.
Until the start of the Gaza war, countries in western and northern Europe had not moved to recognize a Palestinian state, with the exception of Sweden in 2014.
In 2024, Norway, Spain, Ireland and Slovenia took the first step. On the other hand, Italy and Germany are not considering recognition, while Greece is also among the countries that have not recognized the state of Palestine.
What does recognition of a country mean?
This is a complex issue in international law, “somewhat in the middle between politics and law,” according to Roman le Boeuf, professor of International Law at Aix-Marseille University.
"States are free to choose the time and form of recognition," with "extremely variable" methods, he explained, emphasizing that "there is no registry of recognitions."
On the other hand, "international law is quite clear: recognition does not create the state, nor does the absence of recognition prevent the existence of the state," continued Le Boeuf, with the elements of a State's existence being a territory, a population, and an independent government.
Although the importance of state recognition is "largely symbolic and political," in the case of Palestine, three-quarters of countries "say that Palestine meets the necessary conditions" to be a state, he stressed.
“This changes the facts in a way,” lawyer and law professor Philip Sands had estimated in mid-August. “Because from the moment the status of the state of Palestine is recognized (…) it essentially puts Palestine and Israel on an equal footing in terms of their treatment under international law,” he had added.
Source: protothema.gr
