Arab countries that recognise Palestine include Saudi Arabia, Egypt, UAE, and Qatar.
New Delhi: Amidst the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, France has made a big announcement regarding Palestine. French President Emmanuel Macron has announced that his country will soon recognize Palestine as an independent nation. He made this announcement on the social media platform X and said that it will be formally declared during at the United Nations in September.
What is the reaction of Palestinian Authority and Israel government?
France will become the first major Western country of the G7 group to do so. This decision of France has created a stir all over the world. The Palestinian Authority has expressed happiness over this while Israel has lodged a strong objection.
On the other hand, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has strongly condemned this decision. He said that this step of France is like rewarding terrorism and increases the risk of giving birth to another Iranian pawn like Gaza. He said that if a Palestinian state is formed, it will not prove to be a means to live peacefully with Israel but will prove to be a launchpad to wipe it out. “To put it clearly, Palestine does not want to be with Israel but wants Israel’s place”!
Which countries have recognized Palestine so far?
As of March 2025, out of the total 193 member countries of the United Nations, 147 countries have recognized Palestine as an independent nation. These countries are mainly from Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Arab world. Some of the major countries among these are India, China, Brazil, Russia, and South Africa.
Arab countries include Saudi Arabia, Egypt, UAE, and Qatar. Asian countries include Indonesia, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Talking about African countries, Nigeria, Kenya, and Algeria have already recognized Palestine while from Latin America, countries include Venezuela, Cuba, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Bolivia, Guyana, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
What is the stand of European countries?
Sweden was the first Western European country to do so in 2014 and now many European countries are gradually recognizing Palestine. Russia already recognises Palestine as an independent state. The situation changed in 2024 as on 22 May 2024, Norway, Ireland and Spain together recognized Palestine. On 4 June 2024, Slovenia also recognized Palestine as a country. It is believed that Malta and Belgium are also going to declare their support to a Palestinian state. These countries said that they will recognize Palestine according to the 1967 border, that is, they consider West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip as part of Palestine.
What do G7 countries and America say?
Currently, none of the G7 countries, that is, America, Britain, Germany, Italy, Japan, Canada and France have given formal recognition to Palestine. Now France has become the first country of this group to take this step. America and Britain currently talk of a two-nation solution but have been avoiding recognizing Palestine as a separate nation.