• You’re rewarding terrorism, Trump fires back
• Netanyahu: ‘There will be no Palestinian State’
• Two-State solution won’t solve the problem, says Onyibe
Ahead of the commencement of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) high-level general debate tomorrow, more countries are swelling the ranks of those formally recognising the State of Palestine amidst pushback from America and Israel.
Yesterday, Britain formally recognised a Palestinian State. Canada was the first G7 nation to make the same move, followed by Australia. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a video statement that such moves keep alive the possibility of peace and insists the United Kingdom would keep fighting to bring home Israeli hostages.
As of September 2025, the State of Palestine is recognised as a sovereign state by 150 of the 193 member States of the United Nations, that is, over 78 per cent of all UN members.
It has been a non-member observer state of the United Nations General Assembly since November 2012. American President Donald Trump, reacting to the endorsements, declared: “You are rewarding terrorism!” He said he doesn’t think they should do that, and he is not in their camp.
Interestingly, it does not appear any country will be willing to veto the U.S. stance, meaning that the endorsement may actually amount to nothing after all.
Israeli PM, Benjamin Netanyahu, reacting to the development, said in a video statement released on social media that “there will be no Palestinian State”. He said: “I have a clear message to those leaders who recognise a Palestinian State after the terrible massacre on October 7 – you are giving a huge reward to terrorism, and I have another message for you; it will not happen. A Palestinian State will not be established west of the Jordan River.”
Netanyahu said that for years he had prevented the establishment of “this terrorist State in the face of pressure”. “Indeed, we doubled Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria, and we will continue on this path,” he added.
The Israeli leader also said a “response to the latest attempt to impose a terrorist State on us in the heart of our country” will be given after he returns from the United States, where he will attend the UN General Assembly in New York this week.
Israel foreign Ministry in a statement, rejected the one-sided declaration, stating that it does not promote peace, but further destabilises the region and undermines the chances of achieving a peaceful solution in the future.
“It is destructive to separate statehood, one of the final status issues, from peace. This move goes against all logic of negotiation and reaching a compromise between two sides, and it will push the desired peace further away.
“Moreover, the Palestinian Authority did not meet any of its requirements and obligations; it did not stop neither the incitement, nor the pay-for-slay policy, nor did it take the required measures to combat terrorism as demonstrated recently with the discovery of rockets and missiles near Ramallah last week,” the statement read.
Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, meanwhile, joined her Tory peers in criticising Starmer’s decision to recognise a Palestinian State, calling it “absolutely disastrous”.
In a post on social media, she wrote: “We will all rue the day this decision was made. Rewarding terrorism with no conditions whatsoever put in place for Hamas. It leaves hostages languishing in Gaza and does nothing to stop the suffering of innocent people caught in this war,” she said.
Families of those still being held in Gaza expressed concern, in an open letter to Starmer, they said recognition “complicates efforts to bring home our loved ones”.
Note that the United Nations General Assembly has also voted to allow Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to address its yearly gathering of world leaders next week by video link after the United States refused to grant him a visa to travel to New York in person.
“The State of Palestine may submit a prerecorded statement of its President, which will be played in the General Assembly Hall,” said the resolution, which passed on Friday with 145 votes in favour, five opposed, and six abstentions.
MEANWHILE, experts have shared mixed feelings over the absence of Nigeria’s president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, at the just-started UNGA. The president, for the second time, has sent delegates, led by the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, to head Nigeria’s delegation to the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
Policy Analyst, Magnus Onyibe, expressed concern that the countries that want to recognise the Palestinian State would be doing so in anger, not in a proper, stable state of mind that is required to resolve the Israel-Palestine matter, which has been there for a very long time.
He, however, explained that a two-State solution hasn’t ever solved the problem, given instances with Sudan and South Sudan, Eritrea and Ethiopia who have remained in constant war since the creation of a two-State solution.
“So, a two-State solution has not proven to be efficacious. What is going to solve the Israel-Gaza issue is still unknown. They have come up with all sorts of actions and measures, but none have been able to solve the problem.
“It can’t be fathomed. But the point is that if they recognise the State of Palestine, how does it solve the problem? So, it may be an emotional decision, not a pragmatic one or a practical one,” he said.
Concerning the absence of the Nigerian president, he said that the president arranges his priorities and has deemed it fit to send the Vice President.
He explained that if an inclusion of Nigeria or Africa in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) was on the agenda, the possibility of the president attending would have been higher.
“There are five nations in the UNSC, and we want to be one. Africa has 54 countries, at least, we are pushing for like two, because as far as I’m concerned, there are two types of Africa right now.
“There’s black Africa, there’s almost white Africa, the Maghreb region. Europe is 27 nations, and they have three members as representatives. So, why can’t Nigeria and another country represent Africa?
“You should also recall that critics of the President have been complaining that he has been travelling a lot. Right now, he wants to stay home, but they are blaming him for staying home.
“They want to say that going to the UN is, as far as they are concerned, a priority. But he doesn’t consider it to be a priority. He thinks his VP is capable of dealing with that one, so that he could deal with domestic issues that we have,” he said.
Senior Research Fellow, Division of International Law, Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Dr Philippa Osim Inyang, said the President’s abstention should be understood against the backdrop of urgent national reform at home, adding that the fact that he’s sending a UN delegation, means he has confidence in the delegation and they would be able to adequately represent Nigeria.
“So, the Vice President’s attendance shows that Nigeria is fully engaged. It shows that our positions will be clearly stipulated, and I think what is more important is that Nigeria’s voice continues to be heard at the UN.”
She explained that the recognition of Palestine at the UN General Assembly reflects the longstanding principle in international law, that is, the right of people to self-determination.
“Though I think this recognition is essentially a political act, it is one that gives weight to the Palestinians’ legal marking to their statehood. So, on its own, it will not change the situation on the ground, but it will keep the hope of a two-State solution alive. And I think it will also send a message that the international community still believes that peace is possible,” she said.
Inyang said America denying Palestine Envoy visa was an unfortunate and symbolically damaging move, however it does not cancel out the wider push for a two-State solution.
In fact, it might even draw more attention to the imbalance in the process, and it can strengthen calls from other countries for recognition and inclusion of this state of Palestine.
“So, the real challenge remains how to ensure that both sides are heard and represented if peace is to be credible,” she added. Professor of Political Science, Lagos State University (LASU), Sylvester Odion, said that Palestinian crisis was a creation of the Anglo-Saxons or the Europeans, so recognising the right of Palestinians to exist in their own land, is a good development.
He expressed optimism that they should go beyond their recognition to enforce it. According to the don, there will be positive resolutions in the General Assembly, but whatever positive conversation is taken to the Security Council, the United States will veto it.
“So, America is one country that, even the European countries themselves need to lobby to have a singular position on Israel. On Tinubu, he stated that the president doesn’t enjoy high-profile outings that require rigorous exercise, adding that there is nothing unusual when you send a delegation led by a foreign minister to go to the U.N., as it is a normal practice.
“So, there’s nothing unusual, and as far as I’m concerned, Nigeria does not have a strong position on the Palestinian crisis. We have not been forthcoming in terms of making our position known, as we would rather be silent or neutral,” he said.
