55 Global Nations Do Not ‘Recognize’ Palestine, 29 Don’t Recognize Israel

November 11th, 2023

Awake Goy

The recent conflict between Hamas and Israel has brought the Gaza Strip, and the partially recognized State of Palestine, prominently into the focus of the global news cycle.

In the graphic below, Visual Capitalist’s Bruno Venditti uses Wikipedia data to map the countries that currently recognize Palestine as a state and those that don’t.

55 Countries Do Not Recognize Palestine

On November 15, 1988, the State of Palestine was officially proclaimed by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) coalition. The state claimed sovereignty of the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem.

As of November 2023, 138 of the 193 UN members (72%) recognize the State of Palestine.

Here are the 55 countries that don’t recognize Palestine:

State	Recognizes Palestine?
Andorra	No
Armenia	No
Australia	No, informal relations
Austria	No, informal relations
Bahamas	No
Barbados	No
Belgium	No, informal relations
Cameroon	No, informal relations
Canada	No, informal relations
Croatia	No, informal relations
Denmark	No, informal relations
Eritrea	No, informal relations
Estonia	No, informal relations
Federated States of Micronesia	No
Fiji	No
Finland	No, informal relations
France	No, informal relations
Germany	No, informal relations
Greece	No, informal relations
Ireland	No, informal relations
Israel	No, informal relations
Italy	No, informal relations
Jamaica	No
Japan	No, informal relations
Kiribati	No
Latvia	No, informal relations
Liechtenstein	No
Lithuania	No, informal relations
Luxembourg	No, informal relations
Marshall Islands	No
Mexico	No, informal relations
Moldova	No, informal relations
Monaco	No
Myanmar	No
Nauru	No
Netherlands	No, informal relations
New Zealand	No, informal relations
North Macedonia	No
Norway	No, informal relations
Palau	No
Panama	No
Portugal	No, informal relations
Samoa	No
San Marino	No
Singapore	No
Slovenia	No, informal relations
Solomon Islands	No
South Korea	No, informal relations
Spain	No, informal relations
Switzerland	No, informal relations
Tonga	No
Trinidad and Tobago	No
Tuvalu	No
United Kingdom	No, informal relations
United States	No, informal relations

Many of the world’s Western countries, including the entire G7, do not recognize Palestine. Instead, many maintain informal diplomatic relations.

In contrast, emerging major economies like those within BRICS and other G20 nations, including Argentina, Indonesia, Türkiye, and Saudi Arabia, officially recognize the state.

In 2012, the State of Palestine was also upgraded by the UN to become a non-member observer state, a status shared only by the Holy See of Vatican City.

Hamas and the Gaza Strip

Officially, the United Nations recognizes the PLO as the governing entity in the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip, both of which fell under Israeli control following the 1967 Six-Day War.

After the Oslo Accords were signed by Israel and the PLO in the mid 1990s, the PLO gained control over the Gaza Strip and 40% of the West Bank through the newly-created Palestinian Authority administration.

However, following a 2007 military conflict between rival Palestinian factions Fatah (the majority party of the PLO) and Hamas (a militant political party separate from the PLO), the Gaza Strip has been governed by Hamas.

* * *

The recognition of Israel’s sovereignty has remained a dynamic and intricate issue since its establishment in 1948.

In the graphic below, Visual Capitalist’s Bruno Venditti uses Wikipedia data to map the countries that currently recognize Israel as a state and those that don’t.

29 Countries Do Not Recognize Israel

As of November 2023, 164 of the 193 UN members recognize Israel as a state, including all G7 countries. Even the State of Palestine recognized Israel as part of the Oslo Accords in 1993.

Here are the 29 countries that don’t recognize Israel:

State	Recognized Israel?
Afghanistan	Never
Algeria	Never
Bangladesh	Never
Bolivia	Suspended/Cut Relations
Brunei	Never
Comoros	Never
Cuba	Withdrew
Djibouti	Never
Indonesia	Never
Iran	Withdrew
Iraq	Never
Kuwait	Never
Lebanon	Never
Libya	Never
Malaysia	Never
Maldives	Suspended/Cut Relations
Mali	Suspended/Cut Relations
Mauritania	Suspended/Cut Relations
Niger	Suspended/Cut Relations
North Korea	Never
Oman	Never
Pakistan	Never
Qatar	Never
Saudi Arabia	Never
Somalia	Never
Syria	Never
Tunisia	Never
Venezuela	Suspended/Cut Relations
Yemen	Never

With the exception of four countries—Bolivia, Cuba, North Korea, Venezuela—the countries that do not recognize Israel are predominantly Muslim.

Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria have never recognized Israel and technically remain in a state of war with the country. Iran also doesn’t recognize Israel, but actually had relations with the country in the past before severing all ties following the 1979 Iranian Revolution.

Likewise, Cuba recognized Israel in 1949, but reversed its position in 1973 and actively supported Egypt and Syria against it during that year’s Yom Kippur War.

On the other hand, some Muslim-majority countries including Egypt, Jordan, and the UAE, have gradually normalized with the country.

Effects of the Israel-Hamas War

Relations between Israel and other countries are often strained when it engages in military conflicts, especially in the Gaza Strip.

In some cases those relations have broken completely. Venezuela broke all diplomatic ties with Israel during the 2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict. More recently, Bolivia cut official ties with Israel over the ongoing Israel-Hamas War.

As of November 2023, 85% of UN members recognized Israel as a country, compared to 72% for the State of Palestine.

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