A coordinated wave of recognitions of Palestinian statehood by close Western allies has left Israel increasingly isolated on the eve of the United Nations General Debate in New York.
On Sunday, 21 September 2025, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia formally recognised the State of Palestine, with Portugal announcing the same soon after. France is expected to follow at events around the UN gathering this week.
The decisions mark a material shift in the positions of several G7 and other Western governments and come amid a protracted war in Gaza that has now lasted nearly two years. London framed its move as safeguarding the prospect of a two-state solution; Ottawa and Canberra offered similar justifications, stressing that recognition is not a concession to Hamas and that any future Palestinian government must exclude the group.
Paris has signalled it will formalise recognition during UN-related proceedings. President Emmanuel Macron, in a US television interview over the weekend, argued that acknowledging Palestinian statehood is necessary to undercut Hamas and to re-energise diplomacy. A France-backed conference on the two-state framework is slated alongside the UN sessions, with additional European states indicating they may join the recognition track. Belgium has already said it intends to do so.
With the UK and, potentially, France moving, four of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council—China, Russia, the UK and France—will have recognised Palestine; the United States remains opposed to recognition at this stage. Globally, around 150 of the UN’s 193 member states now recognise Palestinian statehood.
Israel condemned Sunday’s announcements. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said recognition amounted to “a reward for terrorism” and reiterated his long-standing opposition to a Palestinian state “west of the Jordan”. Far-right members of his coalition called for annexation measures in the occupied West Bank. President Isaac Herzog said the recognitions would not help secure the release of hostages or advance negotiations.
The moves by Britain, Canada, Australia and Portugal are intended, their governments say, to revive a political horizon after months of conflict. The UK government described recognition as part of a broader effort to keep the two-state option viable, while maintaining that Hamas can have no role in future Palestinian governance. Australia issued a joint statement by the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister confirming immediate recognition and outlining expectations for reform by the Palestinian Authority. Canada’s prime minister said Ottawa’s step aligns with the goal of peaceful coexistence and with reforms pledged by the Palestinian leadership.
Diplomatic activity around the UN meeting underscores the shift. France and partners have convened sessions focused on concrete steps toward a two-state outcome, including governance reforms, security arrangements and post-conflict reconstruction. Several European states, including Belgium, Luxembourg and others, are weighing recognition, while some EU members—among them Germany—have restated opposition to recognition at this point, arguing it should follow negotiations.
The recognitions occur against a continuing war in Gaza and cross-border incidents in Lebanon. The 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attack killed about 1,200 people in Israel and led to mass hostage-taking. Israel’s subsequent military campaign in Gaza has caused extensive casualties and displacement. Israeli authorities say dozens of hostages remain in captivity. Domestic pressure in Israel has grown for a deal to secure releases, even as the government has expanded ground operations.
For supporters of recognition, the timing is designed to inject momentum into a stalled process and to delineate a political end-state around which ceasefire and reconstruction efforts could cohere. For critics—including Israel and the United States—recognition absent a negotiated framework risks rewarding violence and complicating security arrangements on the ground.
Whether the latest steps unlock negotiations will depend on movement on several fronts: agreement on security guarantees for Israel; a credible, reformed Palestinian Authority able to govern in both the West Bank and Gaza; and a roadmap addressing settlements, borders and Jerusalem. The weeks around the UN gathering will test whether the diplomatic signalling translates into coordinated pressure and incentives capable of shifting positions.
What is clear is that a significant cohort of Western states has moved from rhetorical support for two states to the formal recognition of Palestinian statehood. If France joins as anticipated, Israel will face a Security Council in which only Washington dissents on recognition, while European debates over next steps—recognition sequencing, sanctions or conditionality—will intensify. The immediate impact may be limited, but the diplomatic geometry around the conflict has changed.
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