The international landscape surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has shifted dramatically in recent months, with a wave of Western countries—most notably the United Kingdom, France, Canada, and Australia—formally recognising Palestine as an independent state. This coordinated diplomatic effort comes amid an ever-worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where, by October 1, 2025, at least 65,000 people had been killed and mass displacement had become the grim norm, according to reporting from multiple sources, including TO BHMA and HT.
This latest push for recognition is not occurring in a vacuum. France and Saudi Arabia have co-chaired the High-level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, a mouthful of a name for a summit aiming to revive stalled peace efforts. As TO BHMA noted, French President Emmanuel Macron was instrumental in lobbying other European states since May 2025 to join Ireland, Norway, and Spain—countries that had already recognised Palestine in 2024. Macron announced in July that France would move ahead with recognition, positioning it as a means to protect the two-state solution and ramp up pressure on Israel.
The United Kingdom followed suit in September, with Labour leader Keir Starmer making the announcement in a corridor adorned with UK flags—no journalists or cameras present, but the symbolism was unmistakable. Canada and Australia quickly aligned themselves with the UK’s decision, a move that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lambasted as "absurd" and "a reward for terrorism." Starmer, for his part, was adamant that this was not a reward for Hamas, vowing that the group’s senior figures would face further sanctions and have no role in a future Palestinian government.
Historian Ilan Pappe, speaking to TO BHMA, called the recognition "a double-edged sword." He explained, "On the one hand, it is a crucial counter act against the current Israeli government’s wish to eliminate Palestine as a country and as an idea... In this respect it is a very positive move. On the other hand, it is reminiscent of the Oslo accord. Talking about two state solution, with total disregard to the reality on the ground that long time ago defeated this idea and avoiding what is more important than recognition: realising that only tough UK and EU pressure on Israel, with sanctions as the main tool and ending military trade, will stop the genocide in Gaza and the next one Israel plans for the West Bank."
The recognition wave has not swept through all of Europe. Italy, the Netherlands, Greece, and Germany have all declined to recognise Palestine, at least for now. Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called premature recognition "counterproductive," and Germany, despite increasing criticism of Israel’s conduct in Gaza, has not joined the recognisers. In Finland, the debate has been especially fierce. On September 30, 2025, Prime Minister Petteri Orpo told parliament that Finland would only recognise Palestine after strict conditions were met—including the removal of Hamas from governance, the release of Israeli hostages, and concrete progress on disarmament and governance reforms by the Palestinian Authority. Orpo criticised Israel’s military actions as "disproportionate and in violation of international law" and reaffirmed Finland’s condemnation of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, but insisted, "Hamas or any other group aiming to destroy Israel cannot play a role in Palestine’s future. Without these commitments, the Finnish government will not advance recognition."
Opposition parties in Finland accused the government of foreign policy paralysis, arguing that immediate recognition would support moderate Palestinian forces and the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank rather than Hamas. Johannes Koskinen of the Social Democratic Party stressed, "This is about the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, not Hamas. We are not recognising Hamas or any terrorist group." Sofia Virta of the Greens warned that the window for a two-state solution was closing quickly, while Mai Kivelä of the Left Alliance derided the government’s policy as "spineless inactivity." President Alexander Stubb publicly stated his willingness to recognise Palestine if the government proposed it, highlighting a rift at the highest levels of Finnish leadership.
Meanwhile, the 22-member Arab League has also shifted its posture, increasing criticism of Hamas and calling for the group to disarm and end its rule over Gaza. In July, the Arab League condemned the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which killed approximately 1,200 people, and called for the release of all remaining Israeli hostages. This brings Arab states more in line with Western governments, many of whom have long designated Hamas as a terrorist organisation.
The French-Saudi conference produced the New York Declaration, a broad plan for ending the war, which was endorsed by 142 states at the UN General Assembly. Only 10 states—including Israel and the United States—voted against it. The US, for its part, has taken a markedly different approach, characterising Western recognition of Palestine as "rewarding Hamas." In the UK, Conservative and Reform party leaders Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage echoed these concerns, describing the move as rewarding terrorism and voicing their objections directly to Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar.
Not everyone in the UK political sphere is critical. Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats, called the recognition "a welcome step" but cautioned that it was "not the end" of the process. On the left, Green Party leader Zack Polanski and former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn have called for even harsher action against Israel. Historian Dr. Yair Wallach of SOAS, University of London, told TO BHMA that there is "a clear majority among UK voters for such a move," adding that Starmer was compelled by pressure from the left and outrage over Israel’s actions in Gaza. "The recognition itself has little practical implications. It indicates a willingness to support Palestinian rights and to challenge Israel," Wallach said, warning that it could escalate tensions further.
Victor Kattan, Assistant Professor in Public International Law at the University of Nottingham, noted that the UK’s decision was timed to coincide with similar moves by like-minded states and that the government was careful to consult with allies, including the United States. "The risks are upsetting Trump and the Israelis," Kattan observed, "but... the UK has countered this by not acting alone. They’re acting as a block." He added that while recognition is popular among Labour supporters, "for most of the Labour rank and file, it’s not enough. They want the government to go much further."
Domestically and internationally, the recognition of Palestine has exposed deep divisions. Some see it as an overdue moral and political imperative, a necessary step to preserve the two-state solution and pressure Israel to change course. Others argue it is, at best, symbolic, or worse, a move that could embolden extremists or provoke further violence. What is clear, however, is that the events of the past few months are far from empty words: they represent a significant recalibration of diplomatic strategies and a renewed urgency to address one of the world’s most intractable conflicts.
As the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza continues, and as Western and Arab states alike reassess their policies, the recognition of Palestinian statehood—whether viewed as a symbolic gesture or a catalyst for real change—has become a central issue in the ongoing quest for peace in the Middle East.
