Will the UK recognising the State of Palestine make any difference?
National demonstration for Palestine in London, 21 June 2025
Alex MacDonald reports in Middle East Eye on 30 July 2025:
After much wavering, the UK government announced on Tuesday its intention to recognise the State of Palestine in September – albeit with several conditions attached – one week after France made a similar announcement.
These developments indicate a growing consensus among erstwhile allies of Israel for fundamental change as a result of Israel’s prolonged war on Gaza and its refusal to countenance a Palestinian state.
The move has brought predictable condemnation from Israel and the US, but also been criticised by some who see it as a largely symbolic and ineffective gesture “that will fall short” without additional pressure.
How many countries recognise the state of Palestine?
At the time of writing, the majority of UN members – 147 of 193 – now recognise a Palestinian state, with opposition confined mainly to Western Europe and North America.
The State of Palestine was first declared in 1988 by the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), which is the umbrella organisation recognised as representing the interests of the Palestinian people. By February 1989, it had been recognised by 93 countries. Although not made explicit at the time, there was an understanding that the declaration indicated PLO support for a two-state solution, rather than its long-standing position of a single state in historic Palestine. The 1993 Oslo Accords confirmed the joint goal of a negotiated two-state solution and official PLO recognition of the state of Israel.
Why no recognition from the UK?
The Oslo Accords stipulated that the creation of an independent Palestinian state would come about as a result of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians and would see mutual recognition agreements between the two sides. Since the Accords were signed, there has been a consensus among most of Israel’s allies that no Palestinian state would be recognised without Israel’s consent.
In Western Europe, no country unilaterally recognised Palestinian statehood until Iceland in 2011. It was in contrast to many Eastern European countries, which, even after the fall of communism, retained their Soviet-era recognition agreements.