Paris - Three-quarters of UN members have already or soon plan to recognise Palestinian statehood, with Australia on Monday becoming the latest to promise it will at the UN General Assembly in September.
The Israel-Hamas war has revived a global push for Palestinians to be given a state of their own.
The action breaks with a long-held view that Palestinians could only gain statehood as part of a negotiated peace with Israel.
According to an AFP tally, at least 145 of the 193 UN members now recognise or plan to recognise a Palestinian state, including France, Canada, and Britain.
Israel's offensive in Gaza has boosted support for Palestinian statehood.
Four Caribbean countries (Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, and the Bahamas) and Armenia took the diplomatic step in 2024.
So did four European countries: Norway, Spain, Ireland, and Slovenia, the latter three EU members.
Within the European Union, this was a first in 10 years since Sweden's move in 2014, which resulted in years of strained relations with Israel.
Other member states, such as Poland, Bulgaria, and Romania, had already done so in 1988, long before joining the EU.
On the other hand, some former Eastern Bloc countries, such as Hungary and the Czech Republic, do not or no longer recognise a state of Palestine.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Monday that "Australia will recognise the right of the Palestinian people to a state of their own" at the UN General Assembly.
France said last month it intends to recognise a Palestinian state come September, while Britain said it would do the same unless Israel takes "substantive steps", including agreeing to a ceasefire in Gaza.
Canada also plans to recognise a Palestinian state in September, Prime Minister Mark Carney said, marking a dramatic policy shift that was immediately rejected by Israel.
Among other countries that could also formally express recognition, Malta, Finland, and Portugal have raised the possibility.
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