As Israel continues Gaza offensive, momentum grows for Palestine State recognition: 15-nation bloc give fresh call

A day after Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that the United Kingdom will formally recognise the State of Palestine in September, unless Israel takes significant steps in Gaza, France and 14 other Western nations called on countries worldwide to follow suit, according to a France 24 report, citing France’s top diplomat on Wednesday.

The joint call came late Tuesday in a statement by the foreign ministers of 15 countries, issued after a conference in New York co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia.

The meeting aimed to revive efforts toward a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians, added the report.

“In New York, together with 14 other countries, France is issuing a collective appeal: we express our desire to recognise the State of Palestine and invite those who have not yet done so to join us,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot wrote on X.

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The statement was signed by the foreign ministers of Andorra, Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Slovenia and Spain.

President Emmanuel Macron announced last week that France will formally recognise the State of Palestine in September, a move that drew strong criticism from both Israel and the United States.

France is now seeking to build momentum around the push for formal Palestinian statehood.

On Tuesday, Starmer declared that Britain will also recognise the State of Palestine in September—unless Israel takes a series of “substantive steps,” including agreeing to a ceasefire in Gaza.

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If carried out, the coordinated moves by Paris and London would make France and the UK the first G7 countries to formally recognise a Palestinian state.

In a joint statement, the 15 participating nations reaffirmed their “unwavering commitment to the vision of the two-state solution.”

Among them, nine countries that have not yet recognised Palestine—including Australia, Canada, and New Zealand — expressed a willingness or openness to do so, reported France 24.

Seventeen countries, along with the European Union and the Arab League, also joined calls during the conference for Hamas to disarm and relinquish control of Gaza, as part of efforts to end the ongoing war in the Palestinian territory, added the report.

With inputs from agencies