Who recognizes the State of Palestine?

(Paris) Three-quarters of UN member states have recognized the State of Palestine, proclaimed by the Palestinian leadership in exile more than 35 years ago, as Slovenia has just done.

The nearly eight-month war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, sparked by the Palestinian Islamist movement’s October 7 attack on Israeli territory, is reigniting calls for recognition of the Palestinian state.

According to the list provided by the Palestinian Authority and the latest announcements from governments around the world, 146 countries out of the 193 UN member states have now expressed their recognition of the Palestinian state. Before Slovenia, three other European countries (Spain, Ireland and Norway) and four Caribbean countries (Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and Bahamas) had joined this list, from which most Western European countries and from North America, Australia, Japan and South Korea.

In mid-April, the United States used its veto power in the UN Security Council to block a resolution aimed at making Palestine a full member state of the international organization.

On November 15, 1988, a few months after the start of the first Intifada –– Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation – Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) leader Yasser Arafat self-proclaimed “the establishment of State of Palestine”, with Jerusalem as its capital, from the platform of the Palestinian National Council (CNP) which serves as Parliament in exile, in Algiers. A few minutes later, Algeria officially recognized the new state.  

A week later, 40 countries, including China, India, Turkey and most Arab countries, took the same step. Almost all the countries of the African continent and the Soviet bloc will follow.

Mainly in 2010 and 2011, most Central and Latin American countries followed, marking their distance on the international scene from the United States, Israel’s great ally.

Under the presidency of Mahmoud Abbas, successor to Arafat, who died in 2004, the Palestinian Authority established by the Oslo Accords (1993) on Palestinian autonomy launched a diplomatic offensive at the level of international institutions.  

By a historic vote in November 2012, the State of Palestine obtained observer state status at the United Nations. In the absence of full membership status with voting rights, this gives it access to UN agencies and international treaties.

Building on this status, the Palestinians will join the International Criminal Court (ICC) in 2015, which will allow the opening of investigations into Israeli military operations in the Palestinian Territories. The United States and Israel denounce this decision.

UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) led the way by admitting the State of Palestine as one of its full members in October 2011. Israel and the United States will leave the organization in 2018, the latter will return in 2023.

In 2014, Sweden became the first EU country to recognize the State of Palestine, with the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania and Cyprus having done so before joining the European Union (EU). ).  

This decision by Stockholm, taken at a time when efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are at a complete impasse, leads to years of stormy relations with Israel.

In a joint effort, Spain and Ireland, both members of the EU, as well as Norway, on Tuesday formally followed in the footsteps of Sweden, while formal recognition of the Palestinian state has long been seen by Western countries as having to result from a peace process with Israel.

The heads of government of Malta and Slovenia joined Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and their Irish counterpart on March 22 to say, in a joint declaration, “ready to recognize Palestine” if “the circumstances are right.” On May 9, the Slovenian government launched this recognition process on which Parliament must decide by June 13.

French President Emmanuel Macron, for his part, took a step forward in February, believing that “the recognition of a Palestinian state [was] not a taboo for France”. He stressed last week that he was ready for this recognition “at a useful time”, but not out of “emotion”.

Australia also raised the possibility of such recognition in April.