Debating in Europe about recognizing Palestine as a state, Israel has recently received more Arab support

Almost all countries of Africa, Asia and South America recognize the State of Palestine. 138 out of 193 countries in the United Nations consider the Palestinian territories their own state.

During a UN vote in 2012, Palestine’s status became an observer state without membership, the same as that of the Vatican City. 138 countries voted in favor of this “effective recognition” of Palestine. 41 other countries, including the Netherlands, abstained from voting. The only European vote against this was the Czech Republic.

In 2014, the European Parliament voted in favor of a non-binding resolution to recognize “in principle” the state of Palestine. Sovereign Palestine enjoys support, especially in Central and Eastern Europe. Ten EU countries, including Sweden, have recognized independence since 2014. That year, the parliaments of the United Kingdom, France and Spain, among others, called on their governments to do so. This has not happened in any of these countries yet; The British government announced last year that it would not recognize Palestine unless this contributed to bringing peace to the region. In 2016, the Dutch Parliament voted to recognize the state of Palestine, but this proposal received only five votes.

Israel is recognized as a state throughout Europe and North America. 165 countries in the United Nations recognize Israel. The 28 countries that do not recognize the country as a state are mainly located in North Africa and the Middle East, but Indonesia, Venezuela and Cuba also belong to this group. In recent years, Israel has received more support in the Arab world: in 2020, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates recognized the state.