Written by Kevin Herbert
The State of Palestine was officially declared by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) on 15 November 1988, claiming sovereignty over the internationally recognized Palestinian territories: the West Bank (which includes East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip. By the end of 1988, the Palestinian state was recognized by 78 countries. Many countries support a two-state solution to the conflict. Fourteen of the nineteen member countries the G20 (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey and the United Kingdom), plus permanent invitee Spain, have recognized Palestine as a state; the other five (Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea and the United States) do not recognize Palestine. As of September 2025, the State of Palestine is recognized as a sovereign state by 157 of the 193 member states of the United Nations (UN), or approximately 81% of all UN members. The biggest question is how the latest recognitions will affect US and Israel who have constantly opposed it for a long time, but the most trusted allies have moved away from their interests.
History
The roots of Palestinian national identity can be traced back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries, amid the decline of the Ottoman Empire. As nationalism swept across Europe, various ethnic groups began to assert their identities and seek self-determination. In this context, Palestinians started to cultivate a unique national identity, influenced by various socio-political dynamics, including the rise of Arab nationalism and the impact of colonialism, particularly during and after World War I. The Balfour Declaration of 1917, which expressed British support for the establishment of a “national home for the Jewish people” in Palestine, marked a pivotal turning point. This declaration not only ignited the aspirations of Jewish immigrants but also galvanized Palestinian resistance and the formation of a distinct national consciousness among its people. The 1920s and 1930s saw the emergence of Palestinian political organizations, which sought to address the growing concerns over land and sovereignty amidst increasing Jewish migration. In the aftermath of World War II, the United Nations proposed the Partition Plan of 1947, which sought to create separate Jewish and Arab states in Palestine. This plan was accepted by the Jewish leadership but rejected by Arab leaders, leading to the 1948 Arab Israeli War and the subsequent establishment of the State of Israel. The war resulted in the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, an event known as the Nakba, or “catastrophe.” This mass exodus further solidified Palestinian identity, as they began to articulate their historical narrative of loss and dispossession. Through the rising tide of Palestinian activism, both domestically and internationally, various movements began to advocate for rights and statehood. The 1993 Oslo Accords, which established a framework for peace negotiations between the PLO and Israel, brought a renewed focus to the quest for recognition and statehood. However, the subsequent breakdown of the peace process and ongoing conflicts have complicated efforts toward achieving tangible recognition. In mid-2025 support for Palestinian statehood gained momentum ahead of the annual gathering of the United Nations General Assembly in September, when world leaders gather and often use the platform to make diplomatic appeals to a broad international audience. Nevertheless, such recognition would be, to some extent, symbolic. Although the Palestinian Authority asserts some level of self governance and international relations, the traditional criteria for a modern state—namely a defined territory over which a government has a monopoly on the use of force—would require Israel to relinquish its military authority over the areas of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip that the PA claims for a Palestinian state. Israeli officials, citing security needs and with support from the United States, have been reluctant to do so, especially in the wake of the October 7 attack and the ensuing Israel-Hamas War.
Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs over the years
The Palestinians view the aid as keeping the Israeli Palestinian peace process going, while Israelis and other foreign policy authorities have raised concerns that it is used to fund terrorism and removes the imperative for Palestinians to negotiate a settlement of the Israeli Palestinian conflict. Between 1993 and 1997 the PA faced serious economic and financial problems. International aid prevented the collapse of the local economy and contributed to the establishment of the Palestinian administration. Donors’ pledges continued to increase regularly (their value had risen to approximately $3,420 million as of the end of October 1997) because of the faltering peace process, along with the increase in needs and the consequent increase in the assistance necessary for Palestinians to survive. Reality led, however, to a revision of the donors’ priorities Out of concern that the deteriorating economic conditions could result in a derailment of the peace process, donor support was redirected to finance continued budgetary shortfalls, housing programs and emergency employment creation. The 2nd Intifada crisis caused the erosion of the development effort financed by the international community, since the overwhelming emphasis in donor work was now directed towards mitigating the impact of the economic and social crisis. A collapse of the PNA was averted by emergency budget support from donor countries. Despite a significant increase in donor commitments in 2002 compared with 2001, commitments to infrastructure and capacity-building work with a medium-term focus continued to decline. In 2000, the ratio was approximately 7:1 in favor of development assistance. By 2002, the ratio had shifted to almost 5:1 in favor of emergency assistance. On 25 January 2006, the Islamist organization, Hamas, which is considered by the main donor countries to be a terrorist organization, won the Palestinian legislative elections and formed government on 29 March 2006, without accepting the terms and conditions set by the Quartet. This resulted in the imposition of economic sanctions against the PA, including near cessation of direct relations and aid between most bilateral donors and the PA, with only some multilateral agencies and a few donors continuing direct contact and project administration. The Quartet’s decision was criticized by the Quartet’s former envoy, James Wolfensohn, who characterized it as a misguided attempt to starve the Hamas-led Palestinians into submission. In December 2007, during the Paris Conference, which followed the Annapolis Conference, donor countries pledged over $7.7 billion for 2008–2010 in support of the Palestinian Reform and Development Program (PRDP). Hamas, which was not invited to Paris, called the conference a „declaration of war” on it. In the beginning of 2008, the World Bank also launched a trust fund that would provide support in the context of the PA’s 2008–2010 reform policy agenda. In March 2011, there were threats to cut off aid to the PA if it continued to move forward on a unity government with Hamas, unless Hamas formally renounced violence, recognized Israel, and accepted previous Israel-Palestinian agreements. On 23 March 2018, U.S. President Donald Trump signed the Taylor Force Act into law, which will cut about a third of US foreign aid payments to the PA, until the PA ceases making payment of stipends to terrorists and their surviving families.
In July 2018, Australia stopped the A$10M (US$7.5M) in funding that had been sent to the PA via the World Bank and instead is sending it to the UN Humanitarian Fund for the Palestinian Territories. The reason given was that they did not want the PA to use the funds to assist Palestinians convicted of politically motivated violence.
On 24 August, the United States cut more than $200 million in direct aid to the PA. The administration had previously cut aid to several UN bodies devoted to the Palestinian cause, including cutting $300 million off the contribution to United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), and the UN Human Rights Council.
Latest developments in Palestine
The UNRWA commissioner-general has echoed a message from the International Rescue Committee earlier about the rising number of child amputees in Gaza.
“The toll on children & childhood is beyond just the physical injury & the spreading hunger. Children’s scars are deep & invisible: anxiety, nightmares, aggression + fear. Many are being forced into begging, looting or child labor: a lost childhood,” Philippe Lazzarini said.
“The longer this goes on the more the children will be haunted by their ongoing + deepening traumas for generations to come.”
The armed wing of Hamas says its fighters launched mortar rounds and short-range Rajum rockets at invading Israeli ground forces.
The Qassam Brigades said in a short statement that Israeli soldiers gathered in an area east of besieged Gaza City.
The armed group also released a video showing an Israeli Merkava tank being directly hit by a rocket-propelled grenade. The location of that attack was given as the Tal al-Hawa area of southern Gaza City
At least 64 Palestinians have been killed by Israel since dawn with 42 of them dying in besieged Gaza City, medical sources tell Al Jazeera.
As of Wednesday afternoon, al-Shifa Hospital and al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City reported 17 and 25 deaths, respectively.
Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza said Israel’s army killed another 16 people.
The latest killings come a day after UN chief Guterres said the “scale of death and destruction” in Israel’s war on Gaza was beyond any other conflict he has seen during his tenure.
The Meeting between Trump, Erdogan and Arab leaders
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described Tuesday’s talks between Donald Trump and Arab and Muslim leaders on ending Israel’s war on Gaza as „very fruitful”. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York between the US president and leaders and diplomats from Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan and Indonesia.
Reporting ahead of the event suggested that Trump would present a peace proposal to end the war and a roadmap for Gaza’s future governance. In comments to reporters, Erdogan said that a joint declaration will be published and that he was „pleased” with the outcome, without elaborating. The discussions focused on brokering a ceasefire, releasing the captives and alleviating the humanitarian catastrophe, Emirati state media reported. The principles laid out in the Trump peace plan reportedly include an Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza, the release of all captives and a post-war administration involving the Palestinian Authority. It also calls for Arab and Muslim countries to contribute troops to an international peacekeeping force that would replace Israeli forces in the shattered territory. The US president is expected to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on 29 September.
Conclusion
With 157 member states now recognizing Palestine, the momentum for Palestinian statehood has increased, even among staunch US allies. Seamless recognition, although symbolic, places pressure on Israel and the US, which continue to oppose statehood. The decades-long conflict, coupled with the overreliance on aid, and fractured diplomacy—especially the rift between Hamas and the PA—has stymied the numerous attempts for peace. The humanitarian situation in Gaza is alarming, with a soaring death toll among civilians and hidden wounds on the faces of the children. The latest summit hosted by Trump with the Arab and Muslim world proposes a ceasefire, the freeing of hostages, and international peace guardians in Gaza the world order is changing, and with it, the still tenuous prospects for Palestinian independence are now receiving greater attention.
References
International recognition of Palestine – Wikipedia
Recognition of Palestine: a long history
The History of Recognition of Palestine as a State: The Path to Statehood – World History
Palestinian statehood | Recognition, History, Sovereignty, Israel, Diplomatic Relations, & Map | Britannica
UNICEF State of Palestine Humanitarian Situation Report for End-of-Year 2023 – occupied Palestinian territory | ReliefWeb
International aid to Palestinians – Wikipedia
LIVE: Israel kills more than 60 Palestinians in war-devastated Gaza | Israel-Palestine conflict News | Al Jazeera
Trump’s Gaza talks with Arab-Muslim leaders ‘fruitful’: Erdogan