In response to the carnage, country after country is standing up to say, 'Enough.' From Europe to Latin America and Africa, nations are formally recognising the State of Palestine in an unprecedented wave of solidarity. This surging international support for Palestinian statehood is not happening in a vacuum; it is a direct reaction to Israel’s heinous crimes in Gaza.
At the forefront of this historic moment stands Egypt, offering courageous leadership and moral clarity. Egypt is pushing the world to do what is right: recognise Palestine, hold Israel accountable, and end the slaughter. The message is resounding – Israel’s impunity has shattered international patience, and the time for justice is now.
Over three-quarters of the world’s nations have now recognised the State of Palestine. As of this year, 147 out of 193 United Nations member states – approximately 76% – recognise Palestinian statehood. This number has climbed sharply in the wake of Israel’s Gaza onslaught. Just within the past year, a series of countries took the step of formal recognition, sending an apparent rebuke to Israel’s brutality. Norway, Ireland, and Spain formally recognised the State of Palestine in 2024, breaking ranks with previously hesitant Europe.
Israel’s reaction only underscored its isolation – it responded with fury, even recalling its ambassadors from those countries in protest. But the world was not cowed by Israeli anger; on the contrary, Israel’s intransigence has only fueled further international resolve. Other nations have openly begun considering recognition, including Slovenia, Malta, and Belgium, among others. In fact, alongside Norway, Ireland, and Spain’s moves, several Caribbean countries – from the Bahamas to Trinidad and Barbados – have also announced recognition of Palestine. The momentum spans every continent
Even some of Israel’s traditional allies have now shifted stance, a seismic change that highlights how far Israel has fallen in global esteem. The United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia – countries that for decades resisted recognising Palestine – have now formally done so as part of a coordinated effort to revive prospects for a two-state solution. France, too, has announced it will officially recognise the State of Palestine, a move welcomed as “significant” by the entire African Union. This is no minor diplomatic revolt: these Western recognitions mark a historic break with past policy, directly motivated by outrage at the Gaza genocide.
As one joint statement made clear, the goal is to inject momentum into the long-stalled two-state solution – effectively admitting that Israel’s conduct has made the status quo untenable. The international tide has turned. Israel today finds itself largely friendless outside a shrinking circle of supporters. The global consensus – from the Arab and Muslim world, across Africa, Asia, Latin America and now much of Europe – is coalescing around the Palestinian cause. Israel’s genocidal war has succeeded only in uniting the world in Palestine’s corner, leaving Israel diplomatically isolated as never before.
Why are so many nations now rallying to recognise Palestine? Because the moral horror in Gaza has left no room for neutrality or equivocation. Israel’s campaign in Gaza is nothing short of genocidal – a United Nations commission has explicitly found that Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza. Entire neighbourhoods have been obliterated. Families decimated. The death toll defies comprehension: by now, well over 60,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed by Israeli bombardment. This is slaughter on a historic scale, an atrocity televised in real time. The world is witnessing, in Gaza, the deliberate attempt to annihilate a civilian population – the very definition of genocide.
No nation with a conscience can continue “business as usual” with an Israel that perpetrates such crimes. Thus, states are not merely engaging in symbolic gestures by recognising Palestine; they are taking a stand for justice and accountability. In effect, the international community is telling Israel that it cannot commit ethnic cleansing and expect to remain a regular member of the world community.
From human rights organisations to international legal bodies, the call for accountability is growing louder. Even the International Court of Justice, in a case led by countries like South Africa, has ordered Israel to take measures to prevent acts of genocide in Gaza. The message is clear: Israel must be held responsible for its crimes against humanity. Recognising Palestine’s statehood is one way for nations to reaffirm the Palestinians’ right to exist and to rebuke Israel’s attempt to erase an entire people.
Amid this global mobilisation, Egypt has emerged as a beacon of principled leadership. Our country is uniquely positioned – as a neighbour to Gaza, as a longstanding champion of Palestinian rights, and as a respected voice in the Arab and African spheres – to galvanise international action. And that is precisely what Egypt is doing. From day one of the Gaza war, Egypt drew a hard line against any attempt to force Palestinians off their land. President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi made it unmistakably clear that the forced displacement of Palestinians into Sinai was a red line that Egypt would never allow.
Indeed, Egypt led the Arabs in rejecting displacement plans and formulated a holistic reconstruction plan for Gaza – an “Arab Reconstruction Plan” – that won broad European and international support. This was Egypt’s way of saying: we will not let Gaza be emptied, and we will help Gaza rise from the ashes of this war.
On the diplomatic front, Cairo’s efforts have been tireless. Egypt has been a key mediator, pushing for ceasefires and humanitarian corridors, working around the clock to broker pauses in the fighting to facilitate aid into Gaza. Egyptian officials coordinated the entry of hundreds of aid trucks through the Rafah crossing, refusing to let Israel starve out the population of Gaza. At the United Nations and international forums, Egypt has been the voice of the voiceless.
This week, Egypt’s Prime Minister carried our nation’s message to the UN General Assembly, urging the world to seize this moment to finally recognise Palestinian statehood and lay out a roadmap for peace. For years, Egypt has consistently advocated the two-state solution – a sovereign Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital – as the only viable path to lasting peace. Now, Egypt is turning that principle into action by rallying global recognition for Palestine.
Crucially, Cairo has also been actively encouraging other nations’ pro-Palestine moves. Egypt joined its Arab partners in applauding the recent announcements by the British, Canadian, and French governments of their intent to recognise Palestine, hailing these steps as long overdue and morally correct. In short, Egypt is exercising its historic and moral role as a leader of the Arab world – and indeed of all those who seek justice – by spearheading the diplomatic offensive for Palestine. We are proud that our country stands on the right side of history, pushing boldly for what is just.
*The writer Senior Adviser of the Grand Mufti of Egypt.
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