Palestinian State Recognition: Why Some Countries Don’t Recognize It

France and Belgium will recognize the state of Palestine on Monday; The United Kingdom, Canada and Australia have already done so this morning. Some countries will do so under certain conditions, but unless there is a turnaround, the number of UN countries recognizing Palestine will soon exceed 150. Despite this training effect launched by the situation in Gaza, around forty states, however, camp on their positions. Besides Israel, Germany and the United States, notoriously against, this increasingly limited club also has the following countries. Each for reasons that are specific to him. Overview.

Japan

Japan’s foreign policy has been aligned with that of the United States since the 1950s. Tokyo would not want to put his American partner on the back by crossing what is considered a red line by Washington, especially in a context of stormy negotiations on customs duties. Guibourg Delamotte, researcher at the French Institute for Research on East Asia (IFRAE) at Inalco, specifies that Japan is traditionally prudent on the annoying subjects. “One aspect of Japanese diplomacy is that it is not very dogmatic. We avoid very clever positions, ”explains Guibourg Delamotte.

South Korea

Again, American influence is involved, against a background of North Korean threat. Seoul does not want to offend his powerful friend, while he is engaged in commercial negotiations in order to alleviate the customs duties imposed by the Trump administration. Recognizing Palestine would be a huge risk in view of its own interests. “Like Japan, Koreans do not like to play very hot games where there is nothing very clear,” says Yves Tiberghien, expert in the region and professor of political science at the University of British Columbia. “It is a bet that can also be very bad. The United States has pointed out that it was a crucial issue in category 1. In these cases, it will not touch it. »»

Burma (Myanmar)

Burma was the first country in Southeast Asia to recognize the existence of Israel in 1953. “His Prime Minister at the time had sympathized for Ben Gurion [premier premier ministre d’Israël] », Says Marie-Sybille de Vienne, who teaches the geopolitics of Southeast Asia to Inalco. The two countries have maintained for privileged links, both in terms of intelligence and military cooperation, Israel, having notably provided weapons to Burma in its repression against the Rohingya ethnic group. According to M^me From Vienna, it is unlikely that the position of the regime will change, in the context of the current civil war. “The massacres that take place in Gaza, it is not things that traumatize people in power in Rangoun. The army continued to bomb villages after the earthquake. I would say it is the youngest of their concerns. According to the expert, it is more likely that her Singaporean neighbor, who also benefits from Israeli intelligence services, “evolves” under pressure from the people.

Cameroon

The longevity of Cameroonian power (President Paul Biya has been in post since 1982) largely rests on the BIR (rapid intervention battalion), an elite force created and long commanded by Israelis. This brigade, which fights in particular against Boko Haram and English -speaking separatists, benefits from equipment and surveillance technologies provided by Israel. To ensure this military assistance, Cameroon generally supports the Hebrew state in the UN, regularly refrain from resolutions favorable to Palestine. In addition, elections are scheduled for October 12 and the climate promises to be tense. It is better to consolidate his achievements with Israel than to risk recognition of Palestine.

Eritrea

This country of the Horn of Africa has officially combined with Israel in 1993. TSAhal notably established a listening position overlooking the Strait of Bab El-Mandeb, which allows it to monitor Iranian trips to the Red Sea. “Consequently, the Isaias afwerki regime has been hammering for years that it is opposed to the two -state solution,” said Serge Dewel, doctor of Ethiopia history at Inalco. Added to this is an ideological desire for non-alignment on international issues. The Eritrean leader believes that his sovereignty would be threatened in the event of alignment with one or the other camp.

Italy

In question, structural and cyclical reasons. Italian diplomacy has always been a proatlantist and this position has been strengthened with the ideological proximity of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni with Donald Trump. “She wants to play the role of bridge between Trump and Europe,” explains Marc Lazar, professor emeritus at Sciences Po Paris. On the Middle East, she does not want to offend Trump. Can the recognition of France influence the Italian position? Unlikely, estimates Mr. Lazar. “The Italian government is increasingly criticizing Netanyahu’s policy. But Italy is not ready to recognize the Palestinian state because it considers that the conditions are not met, because there is the problem of Hamas and the need to release the hostages before anything else … “

Panama

Panamá has been the friend of Israel for a long time. He was one of the first countries to recognize the Hebrew state in 1948. Good relations never denied later. The two countries signed a free trade agreement and a bilateral cybersecurity agreement in 2022. The Panamanian police were formed by the Israeli defense forces (FDI). Let us add historical links with the United States. In the context where Donald Trump threatens to annex his canal, he would be risky for the Panamá to recognize the Palestinian state. Panamá remains the only country in Latin America not to recognize the Palestinian state.

Other countries that do not recognize Palestine*

Croatia, Finland, Greece, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova, Monaco, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Saint-Marin, Switzerland, Bhutan, Fiji, Kiribati, Micronesia, Nauru, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, the Marshall Islands, the Palaos, Tuvalu, Tongu, Tonga Nepal, New Zealand.

* Some of these countries say they support the two -state solution without formally recognizing the state of Palestine. They believe that the conditions are not met. Others have already indicated their intention to recognize Palestine tomorrow.