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Following in the footsteps of Spain, Norway and Ireland, Emmanuel Macron says France could
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become the next European country to officially recognize Palestine's independence. A major policy switch for a nation which had until now refrained from antagonizing Israel
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and a boost for Palestinians' long-standing quest for statehood. In 1947, the UN voted a partition plan which would have created two nations
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Israel and Palestine, but Arab states and Palestinian representatives rejected the plan
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Followed a series of wars in which Israel gradually occupied the West Bank and the Gaza Strip
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and in 1987, the First Intifada pushed the battle for independence into the spotlight
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It will continue, wave after wave, till achieving real peace through establishing
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our independent Palestinian state. A year later in 1988, 78 countries recognized Palestine's independence
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and in the following decades, more and more countries began to follow suit
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In 2011, UNESCO integrated Palestine as a member state, and in 2012, it was granted UN observer status
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In 2024, Spain, Ireland and Norway became the latest countries to recognize Palestine
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as Israel carried out a devastating bombing campaign on Gaza. As of today, some 147 countries officially recognize Palestinian statehood
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Notable exceptions include the UK, Germany and the US
