Maha Nassar, University of Arizona
Fri, September 19, 2025
THE CONVERSATION
Pro-Palestinian Americans gather in New York at a march to the U.N. on Sept. 18, 2025. Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images
Recognition of a Palestinian state is likely to dominate proceedings at the U.N. beginning Sept 23. 2025, when world leaders will gather for the annual general assembly.
Of the 193 existing U.N member states, some 147 already recognize a Palestinian state. But that number is expected to swell in the coming days, with several more countries expected to officially announce such recognition. They include Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Portugal and the U.K. – although Britain says it won’t support statehood if Israel takes steps to alleviate the plight of Palestinians in Gaza.
That a host of Western nations are adding their names to the near-universal list of Global South countries that already recognize a Palestinian state is a major diplomatic win for the cause of an independent, sovereign and self-governed nation for Palestinians. Conversely, it is a massive diplomatic loss for Israel – especially coming just two years after the West stood shoulder to shoulder with Israel following the Oct. 7 attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas.
As a scholar of modern Palestinian history, I know that this diplomatic moment is decades in the making. But I am also aware that symbolic diplomatic breakthroughs on the issue of Palestinian statehood have occurred before, only to prove meaningless in the face of events that make statehood less likely.
‘I have come bearing an olive branch and a freedom fighter’s gun,’ PLO leader Yasser Arafat said before the United Nations General Assembly in 1974. Bettmann / Contributor
The non-state reality
The fight for Palestinian statehood can be traced back to at least 1967. Over the course of a six-day war against a coalition of Arab states, Israel conquered and expanded its military control over the remainder of what was historic Palestine – a stretch of land that extends from the Jordan River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west.
At the war’s conclusion, Israel had taken control of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.
Unlike after the 1948 war that led to its independence, Israel opted not to extend Israeli citizenship to Palestinians living in the newly conquered areas. Instead, the Israeli government began to rule over Palestinians in these occupied territories through a series of military orders.
These orders controlled nearly every aspect of Palestinian life – and many remain in effect today. For example, if a Palestinian farmer wants to harvest his olive trees near a Jewish settlement in the West Bank, they need a permit. Or if a Gazan worker wants to work inside Israel, they need Israeli permission. Even praying in a mosque or church in East Jerusalem is dependent on obtaining a permit.
This permit system served as a constant reminder to Palestinians living in the occupied territories that they lacked control over their own daily lives. Meanwhile, Israeli authorities tried to squash the idea of Palestinian nationhood through policies such as outlawing public displays of the Palestinian flag. That, and other expressions of Palestinian national identity in the occupied territories, could result in up to 10 years in prison.
Such policies fit a belief, expressed in 1969 by then Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir, that there was “no such thing in this area as Palestinians.”
The rise of Palestinian nationalism
Around the same time that Meir made that comment, Palestinians started organizing around the idea of statehood.
Although the idea had been floated before, statehood was codified into official doctrine in a resolution in February 1969 in Egypt. It occurred during a session of the Palestine National Council, the legislative body of the Palestine Liberation Organization, which formed in 1964 as the official representative of Palestinians in the occupied territories.
That resolution called for a free, secular democratic state in Palestine – including all of the State of Israel – in which Muslims, Christians and Jews would all have equal rights.
From that moment on, the Palestinian struggle against Israeli occupation took twin paths: diplomatic pressure and armed resistance.
But events on the ground undermined the idea of a single state for all along the lines envisioned by the Cairo resolution.
The 1973 Arab-Israeli War’s inconclusive ending opened the door to greater diplomacy between Israel and the Arab states. Egypt and Israel decided that diplomacy would help them achieve their aims, culminating in the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty of 1979. But the treaty also left the Palestinians without unified Arab support.
Meanwhile, throughout the 1970s, the Israeli occupation deepened and entrenched with the building of Israeli settlements, especially in the West Bank.
Yasser Arafat addresses the United Nations General Assembly in 1974.
Bettmann / Contributor
The PLO responded in 1974 by issuing what became known as the 10-Point Plan, where they pivoted to seeking the establishment of a national authority in any part of historic Palestine that could be liberated.
It was, in effect, a way of threading the needle: It signaled to moderates that the PLO was adopting a more gradualist position, while also telling the group’s rejectionist front – which opposed peace negotiations with Israel – that they were not giving up completely on the idea of liberating all of Palestine.
Then in 1988 – a year into the first Palestinian intifada, or uprising – the PLO unilaterally declared Palestinian independence on the territories occupied in 1967.
The move was largely symbolic – the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem were still under occupation, and the PLO was then in exile in Tunisia.
But it was nonetheless significant. It represented the bringing together of Palestinians in exile – most of whom were from towns and villages that were now part of the State of Israel – with Palestinians in the occupied territories.
The declaration itself was written by Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish, who grew up inside Israel, and declared by Yasser Arafat, the PLO leader in exile.
It was also a moment of tremendous hope and possibility for Palestinians. What most Palestinians wanted was for the international community to recognize them as a national body, deserving of a seat at the table with other nation-states.
Compromise and rejection
Yet at the same time, many Palestinians saw the declaration as a huge compromise. The West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem comprise about 22% of historic Palestine. So the declaration effectively meant that Palestinians were giving up on the other 78% of what they saw as their land.
Reaction from the international community to the PLO’s declaration was split. Many formerly colonized countries of the Global South recognized Palestinian independence right away. By the end of the year, some 78 countries had issued statements recognizing Palestine as a state.
Israel rejected it outright, as did United States and most Western nations.
Such was Washington’s opposition that the U.S. denied Arafat a visa ahead of his planned address to the United Nations at its New York City headquarters. As a result, the December 1988 meeting had to be moved to Geneva.
While refusing to accept Palestinian statehood, the U.S. and Israel did begin to recognize the PLO as a representative body of the Palestinian people. This was part of the Oslo Accords – a diplomatic process that many believed would outline a road map for an eventual two-state solution.
While some Palestinians saw the Oslo Accords as a diplomatic breakthrough, others were more skeptical. Prominent Palestinians, including Darwish and Palestinian-American professor Edward Said, believed that Oslo was a poison pill: While framed as a step toward a two-state solution, the agreement said nothing about a Palestinian state in the interim. It only said that Israel would recognize the PLO as a representative of the Palestinian people.
In reality, the Oslo Accords have not lead to statehood. Rather, they created a system of fragmented autonomy under the newly created Palestinian Authority that, though meant to be interim, has in effect become permanent.
The Palestinian Authority was allowed only limited powers and deprived of real independence. While it had some say over schooling, health care and municipal services, Israel maintained control of Palestinian land, resources, borders and the economy. That remains true today.
The PLO responded in 1974 by issuing what became known as the 10-Point Plan, where they pivoted to seeking the establishment of a national authority in any part of historic Palestine that could be liberated.
It was, in effect, a way of threading the needle: It signaled to moderates that the PLO was adopting a more gradualist position, while also telling the group’s rejectionist front – which opposed peace negotiations with Israel – that they were not giving up completely on the idea of liberating all of Palestine.
Then in 1988 – a year into the first Palestinian intifada, or uprising – the PLO unilaterally declared Palestinian independence on the territories occupied in 1967.
The move was largely symbolic – the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem were still under occupation, and the PLO was then in exile in Tunisia.
But it was nonetheless significant. It represented the bringing together of Palestinians in exile – most of whom were from towns and villages that were now part of the State of Israel – with Palestinians in the occupied territories.
The declaration itself was written by Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish, who grew up inside Israel, and declared by Yasser Arafat, the PLO leader in exile.
It was also a moment of tremendous hope and possibility for Palestinians. What most Palestinians wanted was for the international community to recognize them as a national body, deserving of a seat at the table with other nation-states.
Compromise and rejection
Yet at the same time, many Palestinians saw the declaration as a huge compromise. The West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem comprise about 22% of historic Palestine. So the declaration effectively meant that Palestinians were giving up on the other 78% of what they saw as their land.
Reaction from the international community to the PLO’s declaration was split. Many formerly colonized countries of the Global South recognized Palestinian independence right away. By the end of the year, some 78 countries had issued statements recognizing Palestine as a state.
Israel rejected it outright, as did United States and most Western nations.
Such was Washington’s opposition that the U.S. denied Arafat a visa ahead of his planned address to the United Nations at its New York City headquarters. As a result, the December 1988 meeting had to be moved to Geneva.
While refusing to accept Palestinian statehood, the U.S. and Israel did begin to recognize the PLO as a representative body of the Palestinian people. This was part of the Oslo Accords – a diplomatic process that many believed would outline a road map for an eventual two-state solution.
While some Palestinians saw the Oslo Accords as a diplomatic breakthrough, others were more skeptical. Prominent Palestinians, including Darwish and Palestinian-American professor Edward Said, believed that Oslo was a poison pill: While framed as a step toward a two-state solution, the agreement said nothing about a Palestinian state in the interim. It only said that Israel would recognize the PLO as a representative of the Palestinian people.
In reality, the Oslo Accords have not lead to statehood. Rather, they created a system of fragmented autonomy under the newly created Palestinian Authority that, though meant to be interim, has in effect become permanent.
The Palestinian Authority was allowed only limited powers and deprived of real independence. While it had some say over schooling, health care and municipal services, Israel maintained control of Palestinian land, resources, borders and the economy. That remains true today.
Renewed push for statehood recognition
Disillusionment over the Oslo Accords contributed to the second, far more violent, intifada from 2000 to 2005.
Mahmoud Abbas, the leader of the Palestinian Authority after Arafat, responded by pushing again for international recognition for statehood.
And in 2012, the U.N. General Assembly voted to upgrade Palestine’s status, elevating it from a “nonmember observer” to a “nonmember observer state.”
The Palestinian delegation at the U.N. General Assembly before the vote to upgrade Palestinian status to a nonmember observer state in 2012. Stan Honda/AFP via Getty Images
In theory, this meant Palestinians now had access to international bodies, like the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice.
But any meaningful change in the status of Palestinian sovereignty would need to come through the U.N. Security Council, not the U.N. General Assembly.
The U.S. remains opposed to Palestinians gaining statehood independent of the Oslo process. So long as the U.S. has a veto on the Security Council, achieving a truly sovereign Palestinian state will likewise be off the table. And that remains the case, regardless of what individual members – even fellow Security Council members like France and the U.K – do.
In fact, many Palestinians and other critics of the status quo say Western nations are using the issue of Palestinian statehood to absolve them from the far more challenging diplomatic task of holding Israel accountable for what a U.N. body just described as a genocide in Gaza.
This article is based on a conversation between Maha Nassar and Gemma Ware for The Conversation Weekly podcast.
This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Maha Nassar, University of Arizona
Read more:
From resistance to intifada to recognition: the origins of an independent Palestinian state – podcast
Israel’s killing of journalists follows a pattern of silencing Palestinian media that stretches back to 1967
Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, says UN commission. But will it make any difference?
UK, Canada, Australia and Portugal recognise Palestinian state, drawing Israeli fury
The UK, Australia, Canada and Portugal formally recognised a Palestinian state on Sunday, confirming a major diplomatic shift that has prompted vociferous opposition from the US and Israel. Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the move aimed "to revive the hope of peace for the Palestinians and Israelis, and a two-state solution."
Issued on: 21/09/2025 -
By: FRANCE 24
Video by: Leela JACINTO
File photo: Protesters hold placards and Palestinian flags outside Downing Street after taking part in the "March for Palestine" in London on October 28, 2023. © Henry Nicholls, AFP07:41
Britain, Australia, Canada and Portugal on Sunday recognised the State of Palestine, a historic shift in decades of Western foreign policy that drew swift anger from Israel.
Though Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip welcomed the recognition as a victory, the move drew a furious response from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who vowed that a Palestinian state would never come to pass.
Other countries, including France, are due to follow suit at the annual UN General Assembly opening on Monday in New York.
© France 24
05:48
Israel has come under huge international pressure over its war in Gaza, which has sparked a dire humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territory.
Netanyahu denounced the push for recognition as "absurd", claiming it would "endanger" Israel's existence.
"It will not happen. No Palestinian state will be established west of the Jordan River," the Israeli premier said.
He later vowed to expand Jewish settlements in the West Bank, which Israel has controlled since 1967 in an occupation considered illegal under international law.
Netanyahu spoke after UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Britain was formally recognising the State of Palestine "to revive the hope of peace for the Palestinians and Israelis, and a two-state solution".
The UK and Canada became the first members of the Group of Seven advanced economies to take the step.
'Moral victory'
It is a watershed moment for Palestinians and their ambitions for statehood, with the most powerful Western nations having long argued recognition should only come as part of a negotiated peace deal with Israel.
Three-quarters of UN members now recognise the State of Palestine, with at least 145 of the 193 member countries having done so, according to an AFP tally.
Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the move "recognises the legitimate and long held aspirations of the people of Palestine", while Portuguese Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel called the two-state solution "the only path to a just and lasting peace".
On the ground in Gaza, many saw recognition as an affirmation of their existence after nearly two years of war between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.
05:48
Israel has come under huge international pressure over its war in Gaza, which has sparked a dire humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territory.
Netanyahu denounced the push for recognition as "absurd", claiming it would "endanger" Israel's existence.
"It will not happen. No Palestinian state will be established west of the Jordan River," the Israeli premier said.
He later vowed to expand Jewish settlements in the West Bank, which Israel has controlled since 1967 in an occupation considered illegal under international law.
Netanyahu spoke after UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Britain was formally recognising the State of Palestine "to revive the hope of peace for the Palestinians and Israelis, and a two-state solution".
The UK and Canada became the first members of the Group of Seven advanced economies to take the step.
'Moral victory'
It is a watershed moment for Palestinians and their ambitions for statehood, with the most powerful Western nations having long argued recognition should only come as part of a negotiated peace deal with Israel.
Three-quarters of UN members now recognise the State of Palestine, with at least 145 of the 193 member countries having done so, according to an AFP tally.
Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the move "recognises the legitimate and long held aspirations of the people of Palestine", while Portuguese Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel called the two-state solution "the only path to a just and lasting peace".
On the ground in Gaza, many saw recognition as an affirmation of their existence after nearly two years of war between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.
© France 24
07:49
07:49
"This recognition shows that the world is finally starting to hear our voice and that in itself is a moral victory," said Salwa Mansour, 35, who has been displaced from the southern city of Rafah to Al-Mawasi.
"Despite all the pain, death and massacres we're living through, we cling to anything that brings even the smallest bit of hope," she added.
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas hailed the recognitions as "an important and necessary step toward achieving a just and lasting peace".
Although a largely symbolic move, it puts the four countries at odds with the United States and Israel.
US President Donald Trump said last week after talks with Starmer that "one of our few disagreements" was over Palestinian statehood.
French President Emmanuel Macron insisted in an interview with a US TV network that despite France moving to extend recognition, releasing the hostages Hamas captured in 2023 would be "a requirement very clearly before opening, for instance, an embassy in Palestine".
'Special burden'
A growing number of longtime Israeli allies have shifted their long-held positions as Israel has intensified its Gaza offensive, which began with Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack.
Since then, the Gaza Strip has suffered vast destruction, with a growing international outcry over the besieged coastal territory's spiralling death toll and a UN-declared famine.
Read moreMacron says recognising Palestine is the 'best way to isolate Hamas'
The UK government has come under increasing public pressure to act, with thousands of people rallying every month on the streets.
The UK was pivotal in laying the groundwork for the creation of the State of Israel through the 1917 Balfour Declaration.
Starmer said on Sunday that Britain was acting "in the face of the growing horror in the Middle East".
He renewed calls for a ceasefire and again demanded Hamas release the remaining Israeli hostages.
© France 24
08:41
08:41
Branding Hamas a "brutal terror organisation", Starmer also confirmed plans to bolster sanctions on the militants, denying recognition was a "reward".
Hamas's attack on southern Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures.
Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 65,208 people, also mostly civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, which the UN considers reliable.
Many obstacles remain before statehood, including who would run the territory.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
The UK, Australia and Canada formally recognised a Palestinian state on September 21, prompting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to hint at increased settlement activity in response.
The coordinated initiative from the three Commonwealth nations reflects growing concern at Israel's conduct of the war in Gaza and steps taken by the Israeli government to prevent the creation of a Palestinian state, including continued expansion of settlements in the West Bank and the targeting of Bedouins in Palestinian controlled areas.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the UK's move is intended "to revive the hope of peace for the Palestinians and Israelis" and insisted it was not a reward for Hamas, he added, "Because it means Hamas can have no future."
"Today, to revive the hope of peace and a two-state solution, I state clearly as prime minister of this great country that the United Kingdom formally recognises the state of Palestine," Starmer said.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said, "The current Israeli government is working methodically to prevent the prospect of a Palestinian state from ever being established. It has pursued an unrelenting policy of settlement expansion in the West Bank, which is illegal under international law."
"It is in this context that Canada recognises the State of Palestine and offers our partnership in building the promise of a peaceful future for both the State of Palestine and the State of Israel," he added.
Prior to the announcement Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he would meet with the British counterpart in London with his official page writing, "Prime Minister Albanese will then travel to London and meet with United Kingdom Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and hold a series of other high level meetings."
Netanyahu responded by saying the establishment of a Palestinian state "will not happen" and that "a Palestinian state will not be established west of the Jordan River."
In a subsequent statement on social media, Netanyahu hinted at increased settlement activity, saying: "For years I prevented the establishment of this terror state facing great pressures, domestic and foreign... Not only that, we doubled the Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria. The response to the latest attempt to force a terror state on us in the heart of our land will be given after my return from the US Wait."
The UK announcement was widely anticipated after Starmer said in July that Britain would recognise a Palestinian state unless Israel agreed to a ceasefire in Gaza, allowed UN aid delivery and took other steps toward long-term peace.
More countries are expected to join the recognition list at the UN General Assembly this week, including France, which, like the UK, is a permanent Security Council member.
Hamas welcomed the decision while Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called the moves "an important and necessary step toward achieving a just peace."
Portugal formally recognises Palestinian state, foreign minister says
Copyright AP Photo
By Euronews
Published on 21/09/2025 -
Portugal, the UK, Australia and Canada on Sunday joined over 150 countries that now recognise a Palestinian state. The announcements come ahead of the United Nations General Assembly in the week ahead.
Portugal has officially recognised the Palestinian state, the country's Foreign Affairs Minister Paulo Rangel announced in New York on Sunday.
Rangel stated a two-state solution is "the only path to a just and lasting peace", local media reported.
The government in Lisbon has also reaffirmed "the right of Israel to exist" and its "effective security needs," as well as "condemning once again the atrocious terrorist attacks of 7 October" carried out by Hamas-led militants.
The move came hours after the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia -- all Commonwealth nations -- similarly did so ahead of the United Nations General Assembly, set to open on Tuesday.
“We must channel our efforts, united together in hope, behind the peaceful future that we want to see: the release of the hostages, an end to the violence, an end to the suffering and a shift back towards a two-state solution as the best hope for peace and security for all sides," UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Sunday.
Other countries are expected to join the list recognising a Palestinian state at the UN summit this week, including France. France and the UK are two of the five permanent members of the Security Council.
Israeli authorities condemned the recognition, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeatedly stating the move will further destabilise the region and embolden Hamas.
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir announced that he will raise annexing the West Bank at the next cabinet meeting in response to the recognitions.
“The recognition by the UK, Canada, and Australia of a ‘Palestinian’ state, as a prize for the murderous terrorists, requires immediate countermeasures,” said Ben-Gvir.
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