In recent weeks, a number of Western countries have announced their intention to recognize Palestine as a state, including France, Canada, Malta and Belgium. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer followed suit but in the form of an explicit threat: His government would recognize the state of Palestine if Israel did not agree to a ceasefire in Gaza.
These announcements represent the most high-profile push for Palestinian statehood recognition since 2012, when Palestine was given observer status at the United Nations. For many years prior to the Hamas-led attacks on Oct. 7 and Israel’s military campaign in Gaza that followed, the international community seemed to have given up on the idea of a two-state resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
This op-ed was published by World Politics Reviews on September 17, 2025. To read more click here.
