France, next country to recognize the state of Palestine? This was announced by Emmanuel Macron on Thursday evening, promising to make it the solemn announcement next September to the United Nations (UN). A decision that sparked the anger of Israel and the United States, in particular.
The figures vary slightly. To date, at least 142 states have recognized the Palestinian state, according to a count made by the France Press agency. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Palestinian Authority, 147 of the 193 UN members recognized it.
Armenia, Spain, Ireland …
In 2024, several European countries – Norway, Ireland, Spain, Armenia, Slovenia – took the plunge. Sweden had stood out from its neighbors from Western Europe by recognizing Palestine in 2014. Caribbean countries, like the Bahamas, went in the same direction last year.
On May 19, the United Kingdom, Canada and France had paved the way for possible recognition in a joint declaration. But since then, none of the leaders of these three countries had taken the plunge, and it would seem that the British and the Canadians do not follow Emmanuel Macron in September. If this is the case, France will be the first and the only country in the G7, the group of the most industrialized countries, to recognize the Palestinian state.
Recognized in 1988
The first recognitions dates back to the year 1988. On November 15, a few months after the start of the first intifada – Palestinian uprising against the Israeli occupation – the leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization (OLP), Yasser Arafat, Autoproclame “The establishment of the State of Palestine”, with Jerusalem for capital, in the Palestinian National Council. Exile, in Algiers. A few minutes later, Algeria officially recognizes the new state.
A week later, 40 countries, including China, India, Turkey and most Arab countries, followed suit. Almost all countries on the African continent and the Soviet block will follow. In the early 2010s, most countries in Central America and Latin America followed, marking their distance from the international scene with the United States, a great ally of Israel.