Western Collective Turn Towards Recognizing Palestinian State, History and Reality Leave Germany in a Dilemma

Germany, one of the European Union’s ‘twin engines,’ is facing increasing domestic and international pressure over whether to recognize the Palestinian state. Following the formal recognition of the Palestinian state by the UK, Canada, Australia, and Portugal on September 21, on the afternoon of September 22, France, Monaco, Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta, and Andorra also announced their formal recognition of the Palestinian state. With this, out of the 193 member states of the United Nations, 157 countries have recognized the Palestinian state. On the same day, European Commission President von der Leyen and European Council President Costa stated that the EU supports the ‘two-state solution’ to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and noted that most EU member states have already recognized the Palestinian state. On September 22, German Foreign Minister Maas, before departing for New York to participate in the UN General Assembly, stated that Germany’s recognition of the Palestinian state would depend on conditions, including peaceful negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians reaching an agreement on the issues of borders, security, and Jerusalem. The situation poses a dilemma for Germany, caught between historical ties to Israel and pressure from within the EU and globally to recognize the Palestinian state.