About 144 of the 193 member states of the United Nations recognise Palestine as a state, including most of the global south as well as Russia, China and India. But only a handful of the 27 European Union members do so, mostly former Communist countries as well as Sweden and Cyprus.

The United Kingdom is preparing to recognize a sovereign Palestinian state if Israel does not make progress in ending the conflict in Gaza. U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced the surprise decision on Tuesday in a written handout at a meeting of his Cabinet.

France also plans to give a Palestine state formal recognition, reflecting Israel's growing isolation over its conduct in Gaza.