International Momentum: UK, European Nations Recognize Palestinian State Amid Gaza War

A significant wave of international support for Palestinian statehood is building, with the United Kingdom formally recognizing Palestine this past Sunday, September 21, 2025. This decision, announced by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, follows similar moves by France, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Andorra, and Belgium at the 80th session of the UN General Assembly.

These nations join a growing list, bringing the total to 157 UN member states – 81 percent of the international community – that now recognize the State of Palestine as a sovereign nation. The UK’s announcement comes more than a century after the Balfour Declaration and amid escalating conflict in Gaza, where Israel continues its military operations and settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank.

Prime Minister Starmer stated, “In the face of the growing horror in the Middle East, we are acting to keep alive the possibility of peace and of a two-state solution.” This surge in recognition by major Western powers, traditionally close allies of Israel, underscores Israel’s increasing international isolation.

Israel has vehemently condemned these actions. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the UN summit on Palestinian statehood as a “circus” and reiterated that recognizing Palestine is a “prize for Hamas,” vowing that a Palestinian state “will not happen.”

While recognition strengthens Palestine’s global standing, enhancing its ability to engage diplomatically, pursue trade agreements, and approach international bodies like the International Criminal Court, experts caution it has little immediate effect on Israeli policy or the cessation of the war in Gaza. However, it signals a powerful shift in international opinion, with 11 new recognitions in 2025 alone and 20 since the Gaza war began in October 2023.

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