Is This Our Last Chance to Recognize the State of Palestine?
-Article by Sean Heart, January 10, 2026
Images: Ash Hayes, Nikolas Gannon, Mohammed Ibrahim, Raimond Klavins
Palestine has now been recognized by 156 UN member states out of the 193 members of the organization. The nation has, since 2012, held non-member observer status in the UN and has been recognized by countries such as France, Great Britain, Belgium, Norway, Sweden, Spain, Ireland, China, and India.
Palestine is presently going through one of the worst humanitarian crises in the nation’s history. More than 65,000 people
have been killed in Palestine over the past three years, according to international organizations, and an estimated 18,400
Palestinian civilians under the age of 18 have perished in the recent conflict, which Amnesty International has described as
genocide and called for an immediate end to in Gaza.
The October 7 Hamas terrorist attack, which marked the beginning of the most recent phase of the conflict in 2023, left 1,219
Israelis dead, of whom 36 were children.
Some argue that the continued lack of recognition by the remaining UN member states, most notably the United States and Israel, both of which have made clear that they will not recognize Palestine, gives Israel continued opportunity to carry out military operations in Gaza and the West Bank, further contributing to the suffering of the Palestinian people.
Notable nations such as Denmark and the Netherlands have not recognized Palestine, but continue to contribute aid to address the humanitarian needs of Palestinian refugees in the region. Denmark has, in the past, maintained a long history of strong support for the United States, although recent political tensions over Greenland have cast doubt on the stability of that relationship.
The State of Palestine has come into doubt as mounting humanitarian pressure is crushing down on the civilian population. The question begging to be answered is whether this moment marks the last chance to recognize the State of Palestine before it ceases to exist completely?
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