The latest is Spain, Norway, and Ireland.. Which countries recognize Palestine? | News

Almost three-quarters of the world’s countries recognize the State of Palestine, which was declared by the leadership of the Liberation Organization abroad more than 35 years ago. Today, Wednesday, Spain, Norway and Ireland decided to move forward in this direction.

The Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, which has been ongoing for more than 7 months, has revived calls for recognition of the Palestinian state.

According to Palestinian Authority data, 142 out of a total of 193 countries in the United Nations have recognized the Palestinian state. But this does not include most countries in Western Europe, North America, Australia, Japan and South Korea.

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

But the announcement by Spain, Ireland, and Norway that they will recognize the State of Palestine – as of next May 28 – gave the Palestinian issue new momentum in Western countries:

Here is a look at the path to recognizing the Palestinian state:

• 1988: Declaration of independence and first recognition decisions

On November 15, 1988, about a year after the start of the first Palestinian intifada against the Israeli occupation, PLO leader Yasser Arafat announced from Algeria “the establishment of the State of Palestine” with occupied Jerusalem as its capital, during a meeting of the Palestinian National Council in exile. Minutes later, Algeria officially recognized the independent Palestinian state.

A week later, 40 countries, including China, India, Turkey and most Arab countries, took the same step. All the countries of the African continent and the former Soviet bloc followed suit.

In 2010 and 2011, most Central and Latin American countries recognized the Palestinian state, thereby expressing their distance from the United States, Israel’s ally.

The countries that recognize the State of Palestine do not generally specify the borders of the state they recognize.

• 2012: Observer State

The Palestinian Authority – established under the Oslo Accords (1993) and headed by Arafat – launched a diplomatic campaign at the level of international institutions. But Arafat died in 2004 before witnessing the historic vote in November 2012, according to which the Palestinians obtained observer state status in the United Nations, entitled, in the absence of full membership and voting rights, to join UN agencies and international treaties.

Based on their new status, the Palestinians joined the International Criminal Court in 2015, which allowed the opening of investigations into military operations in the Palestinian territories. The United States and Israel condemned this decision.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) opened the way by granting the Palestinians full membership in October 2011. Israel and the United States withdrew from the organization in 2018, before the latter returned in 2023.

• 2014: Sweden became the first country in the European Union

Sweden – where a large Palestinian community resides – became the first country in the European Union to recognize the “State of Palestine” in 2014, after the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania and Cyprus before joining the European Union.

Stockholm’s decision – taken at a time when efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict appeared to be at a complete dead end – led to years of stormy relations with Israel.

• 2024: A new European start

In a joint move, Spain, Ireland and Norway announced – today, Wednesday – that they will follow in Sweden’s footsteps, while Western countries have always linked official recognition of the State of Palestine to reaching a peaceful solution to the conflict between the Palestinians and Israel.

Before that, on March 22, the three countries, along with Malta and Slovenia, issued a statement saying that they were “ready to recognize the State of Palestine if the circumstances are appropriate.” On May 9, the Slovenian government began the recognition process, which Parliament will vote on next June 13.

Paris reiterated on Wednesday that recognizing the Palestinian state “is not prohibited, but the time is not right” for this recognition.

Australia, in turn, spoke in April about the possibility of recognizing the state of Palestine.