Portugal, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia announced their recognition of Palestine as an independent state on 21 September, and were officially joined by France, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg and San Marino at the United Nations General Assembly, which opened the following day in New York. According to the Hamas Health Ministry, the war in Gaza has claimed 60,000 lives so far – an estimate confirmed by most international organisations on the ground. In addition to the death toll, the ongoing famine and continued colonisation of the occupied Palestinian territories were cited by various governments as reasons for their decision to formally recognise the state of Palestine.
This decision has been almost unanimously condemned by Benjamin Netanyahu‘s Israeli government, which has already promised to retaliate. European Union member states remain deeply divided on the issue, with 15 out of 27 recognising Palestine to date. Worldwide, 156 countries – out of the 193 United Nations members – recognise Palestine as an independent state.
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