At the United Nations (UN) last week, President Trump made clear the United States would not recognize a state of Palestine, even as some other Western countries did so earlier in the week. Trump noted how political recognition would reward Hamas for its “horrible atrocities, including October 7, even while they refused to release the hostages or accept a ceasefire.”
The president is correct, and his speech illuminated why countries that value their own sovereignty should reject the push for Palestinian statehood. Over August and September, the left-wing governments of the United Kingdom, France, Portugal, Canada, and Australia recognized Palestine, joining Spain and Ireland’s recognition last year. The conservative governments of Germany and New Zealand notably did not.
Though this roughly follows Left-Right divides, many of the countries declining to recognize Palestinian statehood are notable for their more nationalist tendencies, like Italy, Hungary, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore. International consensus institutions like the UN have lined up behind the pro-Palestine cause, even as groups like Hamas pose a bigger threat to peace and Western values in the long run than Israel ever possibly could. This has led these more nationalist governments to keep their common cause with Israel’s struggle for order and sovereignty rather than ceding to international pressure.
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