From Balfour to Oslo: Historical overview of political recognition

The Palestinian issue, which began as an armed conflict dating back to the Balfour Declaration of 1917, has resurfaced and transitioned into a matter of politics, diplomacy, and formal recognition—culminating in mutual recognition by Israel and the United States in 1993. As of March 2025, 147 out of 193 UN member states—equivalent to approximately 75% of the international community—have formally recognized the State of Palestine.

The number is expected to rise to 148 with France’s anticipated announcement of official recognition during the upcoming United Nations General Assembly session in September.

However, other estimates—such as those published by Agence France-Presse (AFP)—suggest the figure may be closer to 142 or 143, due to the exclusion of certain cases or the shifting positions of subsequent governments.

Waves of Recognition of the State of Palestine

1. The Initial Declaration (1988)

On November 15, 1988, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) declared the establishment of the State of Palestine, triggering a broad wave of international recognition, particularly from Warsaw Pact countries and the Non-Aligned Movement—forming the first official bloc of international support.

First Official U.S.-Israeli Recognition

On September 13, 1993, Israel and the PLO signed the Oslo Accords, which included mutual recognition between the two parties. The accords outlined several key provisions, most notably the establishment of a temporary Palestinian self-governing authority for a five-year transitional period, leading to a permanent settlement based on UN Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338.

The agreement also stipulated a phased Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

On May 4, 1994, Israel and the PLO signed the Gaza–Jericho Agreement.

On September 28 of the following year, both parties signed an agreement transferring authority to the Palestinians in the cities of Bethlehem, Jenin, Nablus, Qalqilya, Ramallah, Tulkarm, and parts of Hebron.

The Wye River Memorandum, signed on October 23, 1998, by the late Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and then-U.S. President Bill Clinton, marked a significant milestone in the history of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. It aimed to secure a phased Israeli withdrawal from 13% of the West Bank in exchange for Palestinian security measures.

On September 4, 1999, then-Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak signed an agreement with Arafat in Egypt to implement a revised version of the Wye River deal, later known as Wye River II.

Subsequently, on July 22 of the following year, President Clinton hosted both Arafat and Barak at Camp David for two full weeks. However, the negotiations ultimately failed.

One of the key points of contention that led to the failure of negotiations was the Palestinian demand for a return to the 1967 borders and recognition of the right of return for Palestinian refugees.

Despite the normalization of relations between Israel and certain Arab states that had previously recognized Palestine, those countries have not withdrawn their recognition. On the contrary, they continue to affirm their commitment to the two-state solution.

2. The Post-2011 Phase

In 2012, Palestine was granted the status of a "non-member observer state" at the United Nations—an upgrade that strengthened its international standing and enabled it to join several international organizations.

In 2014, Sweden became the first Western European country to officially recognize the State of Palestine, in what was described at the time as a breakthrough in overcoming European hesitation.

3. The New Wave Following the Gaza War (2023)

The war that erupted between Israel and Hamas in October 2023 marked a pivotal moment in reshaping international positions.

In 2024, several European countries officially recognized the State of Palestine, including Ireland, Norway, Spain, and Slovenia.

In 2025, France announced its intention to formally recognize Palestine, becoming the first G7 nation to take such a step. The United Kingdom and Canada also declared their intention to follow suit during the upcoming session of the United Nations General Assembly.

Prominent Countries That Have Recognized the State of Palestine

A. European Union Countries (as of July 2025):

Countries that recognized Palestine since 1988: Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Cyprus, and Romania.

Sweden (2014).

Ireland, Norway, and Spain (May 2024).

Slovenia (June 2024).

France (announced its intention to recognize in September 2025).

B. Latin America:

Mexico (March 2025).

Previous recognitions from: Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela, as part of the Latin American bloc supportive of Palestine.

C. Asian and African Countries:

African nations: Ethiopia, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, among others.

Asian nations: China, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Mongolia, and others.

Most countries in the Middle East and North Africa were among the earliest to recognize the State of Palestine.

D. Caribbean Countries

During 2024 and 2025, several Caribbean nations officially announced their recognition of the State of Palestine, including: The Bahamas, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Antigua and Barbuda, and Grenada.

E. Other Notable Countries

Armenia (June 2024).

Canada and Australia have not yet recognized Palestine but have declared their intent to do so, contingent upon specific political conditions.

Positions of Major Western Powers

Despite the widening circle of recognition, several major Western powers continue to withhold recognition, linking their stance to the achievement of a comprehensive political settlement:

The United States, Germany, Japan, Italy, and South Korea currently refuse to recognize the State of Palestine, conditioning their recognition on the conclusion of a comprehensive peace agreement with Israel.

United Kingdom: Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced his government’s intention to officially recognize Palestine in September 2025, should Israel fail to make tangible progress toward a ceasefire and the resumption of the peace process.

Canada: Is considering recognition in the upcoming fall, on the condition that the Palestinian Authority enacts internal reforms and holds general elections in 2026, explicitly excluding Hamas from the political process.

Australia: Has not recognized Palestine yet but has expressed support for a two-state solution and indicated readiness to extend recognition if political conditions improve.

Nearly all Arab countries have recognized the State of Palestine during this period, including North African nations such as Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, and Libya, and Levantine states such as Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan, in addition to the Gulf states and Yemen.

The proposed Palestinian state, as recognized, would comprise only 22% of the territory of historic Palestine—a figure that underscores the extent of geographical shrinkage the Palestinian cause has experienced since the 1948 Nakba and the 1967 occupation. Furthermore, southern West Bank is located 35 kilometers away from northern Gaza Strip, rendering them as two isolated enclaves with no territorial continuity.

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ANHA