What does recognising Palestine as a state really mean?

Most countries around the world recognise Palestinian statehood, and that number is growing further

Ireland, Spain and Norway have announced plans to recognise a Palestinian state next week, joining the 145 countries around the world that already do so.

They hope this will be a step towards ‘peace in the Middle East’, one that will regain ground lost to more extreme forces in both Israel and Palestine.

Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said: ‘In the midst of a war, with tens of thousands killed and injured [in Gaza], we must keep alive the only alternative that offers a political solution for Israelis and Palestinians alike – two states, living side by side, in peace and security.’

Ireland’s Taoiseach Simon Harris said: ‘Hamas is not the Palestinian people … a two-state solution is the only way out of the generational cycles of violence, retaliation and resentment.’

Pedro Sanchez, the Spanish prime minister, said: ‘We hope that our recognition and our reasons contribute to other Western countries to follow this path.’

Some, including Belgium and Slovenia, have signalled their intention to do so.

The leaders of three European countries hope their recognition of Palestine will bring peace after more than 35,000 people have died during Israel’s war in Gaza (Picture: Ashraf Amra/Anadolu via Getty Images)

But today’s announcement sparked a fierce rebuttal from the current Israeli government, which is opposed to the existence of a Palestinian state and a two-state solution.

Israel’s foreign minister, Israel Katz, warned recognition would ‘undermine [Israel’s] sovereignty and endanger its security’ by sending a message that ‘terrorism pays’.

He said: ‘After the Hamas terror organisation carried out the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, after committing heinous sexual crimes witnessed by the world, these countries chose to reward Hamas and Iran by recognizing a Palestinian state.

‘This distorted step by these countries is an injustice to the memory of the victims of 7/10, a blow to efforts to return the 128 hostages, and a boost to Hamas and Iran’s jihadists, which undermines the chance for peace and questions Israel’s right to self-defence.’

But Shelley Deane, an expert in conflict resolution and assistant professor at Dublin City University, believes it may actually ‘halt the unravelling of security in Israel’.

What is considered the state of Palestine?

Palestine consists of the West Bank and Gaza, separated by Israel (Picture: Metro Graphics)

Palestine currently consists of two separate territories – the West Bank and Gaza – governed by separate Palestinian groups.

Hamas has ruled Gaza, the site of Israel’s ongoing war, since 2007. The Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority governs the West Bank.

They were initially connected by land under the United Nation’s partition plan in 1947, but Israel has absorbed much of that land in successive wars since then.

Although nominally governed by Palestinians, much of what is formally part of the West Bank is under Israeli control, with military checkpoints and segregated roads.

The Palestinian Authority controls just 17% of the West Bank, although this accounts for most of the area’s Palestinian population.

Violence during the conflict hasn’t been limited to Gaza, where hundreds of thousands have been left homeless – Israeli forces have also killed Palestinians in the West Bank (Picture: Mohammed Saber/EPA)

Israeli settlements, deemed illegal under international law, have been set up in the West Bank, gradually encroaching on Palestinian territory and carving gaps between Palestinian cities, towns and villages.

Settlers have been responsible for the theft and destruction of Palestinian homes, and acts of violence against Palestinian civilians.

Once opposed by Israel’s governments, they’ve received backing and military protection from the current administration of Benjamin Netanyahu.

This has made them a key point of contention in negotiations between Israel and Palestine, not least because their existence makes an independent Palestinian entity unlikely if not impossible.

Any peace agreement would likely require the removal of the 500,000 Israeli settlers from the West Bank, similar to Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza in 2005.

It may also include other transfers of people and land between the two sides.

Of course, however, there are people in Palestine who hope for a Palestinian state across all of the land currently consisting of Israel and Palestine, much like there are Israelis who hope for the same for themselves.

Why have Ireland, Spain and Norway recognised Palestine?

The decision has seen relations between Israel and the three countries – already poor after their criticism of the IDF’s conduct – further decline (Picture: Serch Carriere / Pool / Photo News via Getty Images)

Irish, Spanish and Norwegian leaders have justified their recognition of Palestine as a step towards peace by placing it on an equal footing with Israel in future peace negotiations.

Deane called it an attempt ‘to stem the relentless carnage in Gaza and to curb the escalating destruction in the occupied West Bank’.

It comes after more than 35,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s invasion of Gaza, launched in response to Hamas’ massacre of 1,200 people and kidnapping of 200 hostages on October 7.

Deane said: ‘Recognising Palestine in these circumstances directs our attention to the catastrophic military action of the incumbent Israeli government and to the perilous state of Palestine and Palestinians so that we might collectively seek to preserve a space for a two-state solution.’

The MV Saoirse – which is Irish for ‘freedom’ – pictured before it was boarded by Israel’s navy (Picture: AFP/Getty Images)

The three European countries have been discussing these plans for several months, but they have long been critical of Israel’s behaviour in Palestine.

Ireland in particular is a long-time supporter of Palestinian statehood, which has brought it into diplomatic conflicts with Israel in the past.

An Irish vessel – MV Saoirse – was raided by Israeli forces in 2011 when it was part of an aid flotilla attempting to break Israel’s sea blockade of Gaza.

This reflects an understanding of the Israel-Palestine conflict framed through the lens of Ireland’s own experience of gaining independence from the UK after centuries of conflict and colonisation.

Irish woman Kim Damti, 22, was among more than 360 people killed by Hamas at the Supernova music festival on October 7

Harris said: ‘From our own history we know what it means, recognition is an act of powerful political and symbolic value.’

Although Israel’s government has described this latest move to recognise Palestine as a reward for Hamas’ brutality in October, Irish politicians see it as the opposite.

More than 3,700 people were killed, mainly by sectarian paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland, during the three-decade conflict known as the Troubles.

Nearly half of Northern Irish adults know someone killed or injured in the military clashes and acts of terrorism of that era.

Green Party leader Eamon Ryan, part of Ireland’s coalition government, said they ‘learnt the hard way, that violence against innocent civilians to try and achieve political aims, can, and must never win’.

He said: ‘Whether that be a car bomb on the streets of Omagh or Jerusalem, be that a rocket landing in Tel Aviv, or a no warning blast in a Birmingham pub, be that an assault on the Kibbutz, or a bomb dropped from a jet fighter onto a refugee camp or a Gaza hospital, it is all wrong.’

Ireland’s Taoiseach Simon Harris (right) next to Environment Minister and Green Party leader Eamon Ryan as they announce plans to recognise Palestine as a state (Picture: Tolga Amken/EPA)

But Emmanuel Navon, an international relations expert at the European Leadership Network (ELNET), is sceptical of their reasons for the recognition.

He put Ireland’s actions down to ‘a long history of having anti-Israel positions’.

Navon also questioned how genuine Spanish Prime Minister Sanchez’s support for Palestinian statehood is.

He told Metro.co.uk: ‘He has a minority government, which he established with the radical left and the [separatists].

‘This is basically to cater to his domestic support.’

What does diplomatic recognition mean for Palestinian statehood?

Pro-Palestine protesters marching through London last week on the 76th anniversary of the Nakba, when more than 750,000 Palestinian Arabs were expelled from their homes (Picture: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

‘This kind of thing has a cumulative impact’, said Yossi Mekelberg, an expert on Israeli politics and international relations.

He told Metro.co.uk: ‘It’s part of a bigger movement which, it’s a paradox for some, was accelerated by the war in Gaza. Israel spins it as a reward to Hamas.

‘This is not the case. It’s just changing the dynamic of the relations between Israel and Palestine when it comes to a peace process, whenever it takes place.

‘It’s thinking about a so-called “day after”.’

The Palestinian Authority, formed in the 1990s, already operates in many ways like a state.

It has 80 embassies around the world. It is represented at the UN as a non-member observer state.

The governing body also provides education, healthcare, rubbish collection and law enforcement in the 17% of the West Bank it controls.

Diplomatic recognition of Palestine has more of a symbolic impact than a material change for people living there (Picture: Rodrigo Arangua/AFP via Getty Images)

However, it has not held an election since 2006 when Hamas won a majority, sparking a conflict with Fatah that resulted in a split between Gaza and the West Bank.

Ireland, Spain and Norway hope their recognition of Palestine as a state will pave the way for genuine independence under Palestinian control.

‘Legally it won’t make a difference’, according to Navon.

‘But I think the consequences will be in terms of perception. The message it sends to the Palestinians is basically that terrorism pays.

‘You don’t have recognition for the past 20 years, but you do October 7 and you get recognition.

‘It de-incentivises them to negotiate and compromise with Israel because the message is that you don’t have to negotiate or compromise, just commit an atrocity.’

Palestinian statehood has been offered in peace agreements proposed in the last few decades.

However Israeli and Palestinian leaders have failed to reach a compromise satisfactory for both sides.

Navon said: ‘As long as the Palestinian leadership rejects that solution, I don’t know how we’re going to reach it.’

Now the Israeli government opposes an independent Palestine.

Why is Israel opposed to a Palestinian state?

Benjamin Netanyahu’s opposition to a fully independent Palestinian state is a moderate position compared with some of his cabinet’s views (Picture: Abir Sultan/AP)

Prime Minister Netanyahu advocates an autonomous Palestine with no military capability, and its security controlled by Israel, something unacceptable to most Palestinians.

This has been Israel’s position for 30 years, but the country has grown more wary of the prospect of a Palestinian state since October 7.

For Israelis, the bloodshed of that day confirmed their worst fears regarding Palestinians’ intentions.

Navon said: ‘As long as the Palestinian leadership, whether it is Hamas or Fatah, continues to hope for the destruction of Israel, there won’t be peace.

‘The moment they give up on that dream, on that nightmare, we might be able to compromise.

‘But so far, they’ve used negotiations, and Israeli withdrawal to establish military equipment and bases to attack Israel.’

However, a peace agreement would also require significant concessions from Israel, not least abandoning any desire to see a Jewish state occupying all of historic Palestine.

This is a vision advocated by members of Netanyahu’s government and by many of the Israeli settlers in the West Bank, who may face removal in such an agreement.

A key question now is whether Israel is willing to do that again.

Navon said: ‘We know what was the outcome of this removal [from Gaza in 2005], of Hamas taking over power, establishing a huge terrorist army there and attacking Israel.’

The latest move to recognise Palestine as a state has also increased Israel’s sense that it is ‘under attack from the international community’, according to Mekelberg.

It comes amid increasing criticism of the conduct of its war in Gaza, South Africa’s war crimes case against Israel at the International Criminal Court (ICC), and a move by the ICC to seek arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Hamas leaders.

Navon said: ‘These governments in Europe do not seem to understand that Israel after October 7 is a different country, Israelis are a different people.’

He added: ‘Most Israelis reacted to October 7, and the statements and declarations with – pardon my French – ‘Screw them, we’ll just fight Hamas, we’ll just finish the job.’

How many countries recognise the state of Palestine?

The majority of the 193 United Nations member states recognise Palestine as a sovereign state.

Once Ireland, Spain and Norway formally recognised it on May 28, that number will be 146.

They’ll be bucking the trend among countries in Europe, where most countries have not granted diplomatic recognition despite generally voicing support for a two-state solution.

Slovenia has also……

Vatican City and the partially recognised Sahrawi Republic, or Western Sahara, also recognise a Palestinian state, but it is not a member of the UN.

Here is the full list of the 148 countries that recognise Palestine, including the three countries about to:

Algeria

Bahrain

Indonesia

Iraq

Kuwait

Libya

Malaysia

Mauritania

Morocco

Somalia

Tunisia

Turkey

Yemen

Sahrawi Republic (Western Sahara)

Afghanistan

Bangladesh

Cuba

Jordan

Madagascar

Malta

Nicaragua

Pakistan

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates

Serbia

Zambia

Albania

Brunei

Djibouti

Mauritius

Sudan

Cyprus

Czech Republic

Slovakia

Egypt

The Gambia

India

Nigeria

Seychelles

Sri Lanka

Namibia

Russia

Belarus

Ukraine

Vietnam

China

Burkina Faso

Comoros

Guinea

Guinea-Bissau

Cambodia

Mali

Mongolia

Senegal

Hungary

Cape Verde

North Korea

Niger

Romania

Tanzania

Bulgaria

Maldives

Ghana

Togo

Zimbabwe

Chad

Laos

Sierra Leone

Uganda

Congo

Angola

Mozambique

Sao Tome and the Principe

Gabon

Oman

Poland

DR Congo

Botswana

Nepal

Burundi

Central African Republic

Bhutan

Rwanda

Ethiopia

Iran

Benin

Kenya

Equatorial Guinea

Vanuatu

Philippines

Eswatini

Kazakhstan

Azerbaijan

Turkmenistan

Georgia

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Tajikistan

Uzbekistan

Papua New Guinea

South Africa

Kyrgyzstan

Malawi

East Timor

Paraguay

Montenegro

Costa Rica

Lebanon

Ivory Coast

Venezuela

Dominican Republic

Brazil

Argentina

Bolivia

Ecuador

Chile

Guyana

Peru

Suriname

Uruguay

Lesotho

South Sudan

Syria

Liberia

El Salvador

Honduras

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Belize

Dominica

Antigua and Barbuda

Grenada

Iceland

Thailand

Guatemala

Haiti

Sweden

Vatican City

Saint Lucia

Colombia

St Kitts and Nevis

Mexico

Barbados

Jamaica

Trinidad and Tobago

The Bahamas

Ireland

Spain

Norway

Which countries do not recognise Palestine?

Most of the countries that do not recognise Palestine are in Europe.

Of the 44 countries in the continent, 24 don’t recognise it, accounting for nearly half the 50 states around the world in this category.

The full list of countries that don’t recognise Palestine, excluding the three countries about to, is:

Andorra

Armenia

Australia

Austria

Belgium

Cameroon

Canada

Croatia

Denmark

Eritrea

Estonia

Fiji

Finland

France

Germany

Greece

Israel

Italy

Japan

Kiribati

Latvia

Liechtenstein

Lithuania

Luxembourg

Marshall Islands

Federated States of Micronesia

Moldova

Myanmar

Nauru

Netherlands

New Zealand

North Macedonia

Palau

Panama

Portugal

Samoa

San Marino

Singapore

Slovenia

Solomon Islands

South Korea

Switzerland

Tonga

Tuvalu

United Kingdom

United States

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