About the pledge

Recognize Palestine is an online pledge. It was created in the spirit of progress towards peace and prosperity in a troubled corner of our world that has an impact on all humanity. It’s the creation of one person and isn’t affiliated to any broader group or organisation.

The pledge is deliberately affirmative. It does not deny or attempt to deny the rights or recognition of any other nation, group or person.

Palestinian statehood is often presented as the goal or outcome of a structured process. This pledge posits the opposite: That only from a recognized identity can the fruits of dignity and self actualisation be borne and grow.

Statehood is not a gift to be negotiated and given, but a right from which opportunities and responsibilities grow. Far from being the result of a process, it should be the starting point for brokerage and diplomacy. In place of decades of policy inertia, full recognition of statehood would offer a different approach and a refreshed opportunity for peace.

Such a call was made in the summer of 2024 by the governments of Norway, Ireland and Spain. On 3 June 2024 a group of UN experts called for all countries to recognise Palestinian statehood. These statements provide additional substance for the rationale and urgency of recognition. It is in the same spirit that this pledge is presented to citizens of nations who don’t currently recognise the State of Palestine so that their voice may be counted.

The numbers

The data itself presents a unique picture that many people may not be aware of. Regardless of whether the count applies to the number of nations who recognize Palestine or, as in the pledge, the number of individuals in whose name the recognition of statehood is made, the weight of the numbers is staggering. You can download the data yourself to see.

Of the 193 nations with UN affiliation, 144 currently recognize Palestine as a sovereign state. That’s 75%. By population, the number is even greater. Those 144 nations represent 6.8 billion people and the full 193, a little under 8.1 billion. So, the proportion of people across the globe who by dint of their state’s policy recognize the State of Palestine is 85%.

The nations on the list in the pledge include much of western Europe and North America. They make up a sizeable chunk of the 15%. Theirs is minority power in action. If you’re represented by one of these nations, what opportunity is there for you to be counted?

Thank you for signing the pledge.