The growing recognition of Palestine's sovereignty from 1989 to 2024
The recognition of Palestine as an independent state has been a contentious issue in international politics.
This year, 143 out of 193 members of the United Nations General Assembly voted in favour of Palestine joining the UN, a privilege typically reserved for recognised states.
However, this move has deepened rifts between Israel and some European Union states, with Israel recalling its envoys from three countries for "urgent consultations."
Most of the Middle East, Africa, and Asia recognise Palestinian statehood. In contrast, the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, South Korea, and many Western European countries do not. Despite these divisions, the number of countries recognising Palestine continues to grow.
This year, Spain, Ireland, Norway, the Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and Barbados have joined the list of nations recognising Palestine. This follows a series of recognitions over the past few decades:
Recognitions by Year:
2023: Mexico
2019: Saint Kitts and Nevis
2018: Colombia
2015: Saint Lucia
2014: Sweden
2013: Guatemala, Haiti, the Vatican
2012: Thailand
2011: 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
2010: Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador
2009: Venezuela, Dominican Republic
2008: Costa Rica, Lebanon, Ivory Coast
2006: Montenegro
2005: Paraguay
2004: East Timor
Recognitions in the 1990s:
1998: Malawi
1995: South Africa, Kyrgyzstan
1994: Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Papua New Guinea
1992: Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Georgia, Bosnia and Herzegovina
1991: Eswatini
1989: Rwanda, Ethiopia, Iran, Benin, Kenya, Equatorial Guinea, Vanuatu, Philippines
In 2011, although Palestine's bid for full UN membership was unsuccessful, UNESCO granted it full membership, leading the US to defund the agency. The General Assembly further recognised Palestine as a "nonmember observer state" in 2012, and the International Criminal Court acknowledged it as a party in 2015. Notably, Sweden became the first Western European country to recognise Palestine in 2014.
