from Michael Hollister
First published at Manova News on November 11, 2025
3.296 words * 17 minutes readingtime
Western nations say they’ve recognized Palestine. But their weapons keep destroying it.
On September 21 and 22, 2025, five Western nations announced they would officially recognize the State of Palestine: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Portugal, and France. The declarations came with solemn speeches about justice, peace, and historical responsibility. French President Emmanuel Macron proclaimed that “the time for peace has come.” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke of his nation’s “deep commitment” to Palestinian self-determination. Canadian officials called the move “a step toward lasting peace.”
For many Palestinians and their supporters, the moment felt historic. After decades of denial, occupation, and destruction, major Western powers were finally acknowledging what much of the world had long accepted: that Palestine exists as a sovereign state.
Thirty-three days later, the celebration has turned to something darker.
Because while these governments declared Palestinian statehood with one hand, they continued arming Israel’s military campaign in Gaza with the other. The same nations now recognizing Palestine have spent the past two years supplying the weapons, components, and technology that have leveled Palestinian territory, displaced hundreds of thousands, and killed tens of thousands of civilians.
The contradiction isn’t subtle. It’s brazen. And it raises a fundamental question: What does recognition mean when the recognizing powers simultaneously enable the destruction of the very state they claim to recognize?
The Numbers Don’t Lie
Start with Britain. In his announcement, Prime Minister Starmer emphasized Britain’s “historical responsibility” to support Palestinian statehood – perhaps a nod to the 1917 Balfour Declaration, which promised Palestine as a “national home for the Jewish people” and set in motion over a century of dispossession.
But Britain’s current actions tell a different story. According to government data, the UK maintained hundreds of active export licenses for military equipment to Israel between October 2023 and July 2025. A Guardian investigation in June 2024 documented at least 108 licenses issued since October 7, 2023, with an estimated annual value of £18 million.
In September 2024, the British government announced it would suspend “around 30” licenses for exports that could be used in Gaza – a move that sounds significant until you realize it left the overwhelming majority of licenses untouched. The suspension explicitly exempted “UK components for the multinational F-35 fighter jet programme” – the very aircraft central to Israel’s bombardment of Gaza.
A report by the Palestinian Youth Movement in May 2025, analyzing Israeli tax authority data, revealed that thousands of military items continued flowing from Britain to Israel throughout the war, including components for F-35 fighter jets, surveillance technology, and ammunition. Confronted with these findings, Foreign Secretary David Lammy insisted the exports complied with British law. Critics, including senior Labour MP John McDonnell, demanded a formal investigation into whether Lammy had misled Parliament.
France’s record follows a similar pattern. In a radio interview in October 2024, President Macron declared: “The priority is that we return to a political solution, that we stop delivering arms to fight in Gaza. France delivers none.”
That statement was false. An investigation by Progressive International, the Palestinian Youth Movement, and French peace organizations in June 2025 documented that France delivered military equipment worth approximately €27.1 million to Israel between October 2023 and April 2025, including components for bombs, grenades, rockets, and artillery systems. French officials defended these exports by claiming they were only for Israel’s “defensive” Iron Dome system – a distinction that rings hollow when those defensive systems free up resources for offensive operations that, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, have killed over 66,000 Palestinians.
The pattern repeats in Canada. In January 2024, Ottawa announced it would suspend new export permits for military goods to Israel – a move widely reported as a weapons embargo. But as The Maple revealed, the “pause” was largely cosmetic. Already-approved licenses remained valid, allowing over $94 million in military goods to flow to Israel between January 2024 and March 2025. An additional $83 million in Canadian-made explosives reached Israel via US government contracts, completely bypassing Canada’s export controls.
A Palestinian Youth Movement report in July 2025 documented dozens of shipments from Canada to Israel containing over 400,000 bullets, ammunition, and F-35 components – hardly the profile of a nation serious about ending its complicity in Gaza’s destruction.
Australia rounds out the picture. While Canberra has been less transparent about its arms trade, investigative research by the Australian Center for International Justice found that dozens of military export permits approved before October 2023 remained active, allowing components and surveillance technology to continue flowing to Israel. As for Portugal, its recognition came without major weapons deliveries, but also without any meaningful commitment to pressure Israel or support Palestinian sovereignty beyond the symbolic.
And Those Who Won’t Even Recognize
While these five nations at least symbolically recognize Palestine, there are other Western powers that refuse even this gesture – yet continue massively arming Israel.
Germany is the most prominent example. As Israel’s second-largest arms supplier after the United States, Berlin has approved military exports worth over €326 million since October 2023, including ammunition, submarine components, and military equipment. Chancellor Olaf Scholz has repeatedly affirmed that “Israel’s security is German Staatsräson” – state doctrine – a position that in practice means unconditional military support.
At the same time, Germany refuses to recognize Palestine. Unlike Britain, France, or Canada, Berlin doesn’t even offer the symbolic gesture. Instead: weapons without words. Complicity without the pretense of conscience.
The contrast is instructive. The five recognizing nations can at least claim they’re “doing something” for Palestinian rights – even as their actions prove otherwise. Germany dispenses with even this symbolic cover. The result is the same: Palestinian territory continues being bombed with Western weapons, whether the suppliers voice recognition or not.
How Governments Justify Their Policies
Faced with accusations of complicity, governments respond with predictable justifications.
British officials argue that the suspended 30 licenses represent “significant steps.” Foreign Secretary David Lammy has repeatedly emphasized that all remaining exports comply with international law and are for “defensive” purposes.
France claims its deliveries are exclusively for Israel’s Iron Dome system – a defensive missile defense platform. President Macron stated categorically: “France delivers no weapons to fight in Gaza.”
Canada points to its suspension of new permits. Existing contracts couldn’t be unilaterally canceled for “legal reasons,” according to official explanations.
But these justifications don’t withstand scrutiny.
First: The distinction between “defensive” and “offensive” is meaningless in an asymmetric conflict. When Israel operates its Iron Dome system with French technology, it frees up military and financial resources for offensive operations in Gaza. There’s no moral accounting that separates defensive complicity from offensive complicity. Every component that strengthens Israel’s military capacity contributes to the overall campaign.
Second: The claim that existing contracts can’t be canceled is legally dubious. When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Western governments canceled contracts, licenses, and trade agreements within days. The contrast is stark: Ukrainian sovereignty justified swift, material action; Palestinian sovereignty gets press releases.
Third: The assertion that exports comply with “national law” ignores whether national law itself violates international law. International law – particularly the Geneva Conventions and the Genocide Convention – obligates states not to contribute to human rights violations. The International Court of Justice made clear in July 2024 that Israel’s occupation is unlawful and that all states are obligated not to aid or assist in its maintenance. Western weapons exports to Israel violate that obligation.
The justifications aren’t just legally unsound – they’re morally bankrupt.
Recognition as Political Theater
To understand why these nations would recognize Palestine while continuing to arm Israel, it helps to understand the domestic pressure they faced.
In Britain, public opinion had shifted dramatically. A YouGov poll in July 2025 found that only 21 percent of Britons considered Israel’s actions in Gaza justified, while over half said they weren’t. An Ipsos poll found that only 13 percent wanted Britain to support Israel, compared to 19 percent demanding more support for Palestinians – a reversal that would have been unthinkable just years earlier.
In Australia, an Oxfam poll found 82 percent of Australians opposed Israel’s blockade of humanitarian aid to Gaza, and nearly two-thirds wanted their government to take a firmer stance supporting Palestinian rights.
Even in countries not recognizing Palestine, the ground shifted. Across Europe, massive demonstrations demanded an end to weapons sales and complicity in what many protesters – and a growing number of legal scholars – termed genocide.
For Western governments that had spent two years providing diplomatic cover and material support for Israel’s campaign, the political calculus became clear: they needed to do something to relieve domestic pressure without actually changing their policies.
Enter symbolic recognition.
By declaring Palestine a state, these governments could present themselves as champions of justice and peace. They could claim moral high ground. They could tell their increasingly outraged publics that they were “taking action.” And crucially: they could do all this without imposing a single sanction, canceling a single weapons contract, or applying real pressure on Israel.
It was, in effect, a pressure valve – a way to channel public anger into a symbolic gesture that changes nothing on the ground.
What Real Recognition Would Look Like
If these governments were serious about Palestinian statehood, their actions would look fundamentally different.
First, they would immediately halt all weapons transfers to Israel – not just new permits, but existing contracts. When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Western nations imposed comprehensive sanctions within days. The contrast is glaring: Ukrainian sovereignty justified swift, material action; Palestinian sovereignty gets press releases.
Second, they would use their economic leverage. Britain, France, and Canada are all significant trading partners of Israel. Trade agreements could be suspended until Israel ends its occupation and settlement expansion. Israeli officials responsible for documented war crimes could face travel bans and asset freezes, as European nations have already done with Russian oligarchs.
Third, they would support Palestinian institution-building with more than rhetoric. That means funding for infrastructure, diplomatic support at the UN, and backing for Palestinian governing institutions – not just the Palestinian Authority in its current, deeply compromised form, but reformed institutions with genuine legitimacy.
Fourth, they would recognize East Jerusalem as Palestine’s capital – not as a “future aspiration” contingent on Israeli consent, but as present reality under international law.
Fifth, they would support international justice mechanisms. The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Israeli officials; these recognizing states could actively cooperate with the ICC instead of quietly undermining it, as Britain has done.
Finally, they would recognize the right of return for Palestinian refugees under UN Resolution 194 – not as a distant dream, but as a legal entitlement that must be part of any just solution.
None of this has happened. Not a single concrete measure has followed recognition. Arms deliveries continue unabated. Settlements keep expanding. Israel’s military campaign remains Western-funded.
The View from Gaza
When news came that five Western nations were recognizing Palestine, many Palestinians responded with cautious hope. After two years of bombardment, after the destruction of entire neighborhoods, after the deaths of tens of thousands, international recognition seemed like it might be a turning point.
Husam Zomlot, the Palestinian ambassador to Britain, welcomed the UK’s recognition but was careful not to overstate its significance. “It’s more about Britain than it is about Palestine,” he told the BBC, noting that recognition must be followed by concrete pressure on Israel. “The issue today is to end the denial of our existence.”
But the bombs didn’t stop. The blockade wasn’t lifted. The humanitarian crisis continued to deepen. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, at least 369 Palestinians died from verified malnutrition by the end of September 2025 – a figure that underscores the deliberate nature of Israel’s blockade of humanitarian aid.
For Palestinians in Gaza, it quickly became clear: recognition wasn’t for them. It was for Western publics – a way for governments to feel better while continuing the policies destroying Gaza.
Recognition isn’t a shield. It’s a press release. Not protection, but performance.
What would real recognition look like? It would look like Britain telling Israel: “We won’t export a single component that ends up in Gaza’s rubble.” It would look like France saying: “We’ll suspend trade agreements until Palestinian sovereignty is respected.” It would look like Canada saying: “We’ll support ICC investigations and arrest warrants without reservation.”
Instead, Palestinians get declarations. Speeches. Symbolic gestures that cost nothing and change nothing.
But existence requires more than recognition. It requires land, resources, security, sovereignty. It requires that those who recognize a state stop arming those who destroy it.
The Dangerous Precedent
This isn’t just about Palestine. It’s about what the international system means – or doesn’t mean – in an era when power trumps principle.
The UN Charter, the Geneva Conventions, the International Court of Justice – all these institutions and frameworks were built on the premise that law matters, that borders matter, that human rights matter. The theory was that the international community would enforce these norms, even against powerful states.
Palestine tests that theory. And the test is failing.
When Western nations can recognize a state while simultaneously funding its destruction, they’re not enforcing international law – they’re demonstrating that international law is optional for preferred allies. When Britain can maintain hundreds of weapons export licenses to Israel while claiming to support Palestinian statehood, it reveals that “rules-based order” means rules for some, privileges for others.
This has consequences far beyond Palestine. If a recognized state can be dismembered with impunity, if international law can be disregarded at will, if recognition is merely symbolic, what protection does sovereignty offer? What does statehood mean?
The message to the world is clear: power determines reality, not law. And if you’re on the wrong side of power, no international recognition will save you.
What Comes Next
The test for these five nations – and for the international community generally – is simple: Will recognition be followed by action, or was it always meant to be hollow?
So far, the evidence points to the latter. No arms embargos have been imposed. No sanctions have been announced. No concrete measures have been taken to hold Israel accountable or build Palestinian sovereignty.
But the story isn’t over. Public pressure continues to mount. Legal challenges are advancing. The International Court of Justice has made clear that Israel’s occupation is unlawful and that all states are obligated not to aid or assist in its maintenance.
If Western publics continue demanding real action – not symbolic gestures, but material consequences – their governments may have no choice but to follow through. The gap between rhetoric and reality is too large to ignore. The contradiction between recognizing Palestine and arming its destruction is too glaring to sustain.
The question is whether these governments will close that gap through action, or whether Palestinian recognition will join the long list of broken promises and empty declarations that litter the history of this conflict.
For now, the answer is clear: Recognition without action isn’t solidarity. It’s complicity with better branding.
Palestinian statehood won’t be built on press releases and photo ops. It will be built when the bombing stops, when settlements stop expanding, when the siege ends, when the occupation is dismantled – when the nations claiming to recognize Palestine stop funding its destruction.
Until then, recognition is just another word for betrayal.
SOURCES
GOVERNMENT DATA & OFFICIAL REPORTS
- UK Government – Export Control Licensing Data
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/export-control-licensing-management-information-for-israel/israel-export-control-licensing-data-31-july-2025 - House of Commons Library – UK, Canada, France statements on recognising a Palestinian state 2025
https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-10323/ - House of Commons Library – Strategic export controls: arms exports to Israel
https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9900 - Global Affairs Canada – Minister Anand highlights assistance to respond to urgent needs stemming from crisis in Gaza and West Bank
https://www.canada.ca/en/global-affairs/news/2025/07/minister-anand-highlights-assistance-to-respond-urgent-needs-stemming-from-crisis-in-gaza-and-west-bank.html - Australian Government Foreign Minister – Further humanitarian assistance for Gaza
https://www.foreignminister.gov.au/minister/penny-wong/media-release/further-humanitarian-assistance-gaza
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM – ARMS EXPORTS
- The Guardian – More than 100 arms export licences to Israel issued by UK since 7 October
https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jun/11/more-than-100-arms-export-licences-to-israel-issued-by-uk-since-7-october - The Maple – Investigative reports on Canadian arms exports to Israel (2024-2025)
https://ploughshares.ca/canadas-soaring-arms-exports-what-the-2024-numbers-reveal - Reuters – Canadian freeze on new arms export permits to Israel to stay
https://www.reuters.com/world/canadian-freeze-new-arms-export-permits-israel-stay-2024-03-20 - Disclose (France) – Arms sales: Delivery of French equipment in Israel imminent
https://disclose.ngo/en/article/arms-sales-delivery-of-french-equipment-in-israel-imminent - Le Monde – Israel-Hamas war: French arms manufacturer Eurolinks denies any involvement
https://www.lemonde.fr/en/economy/article/2024/03/27/israel-hamas-war-french-arms-manufacturer-eurolinks-denies-any-involvement_6658853_19.html - ABC News Australia – Australia defence export permits to Israel in Gaza war
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08-14/australia-defence-export-permits-to-israel-gaza-war/105628320
NGO REPORTS & INVESTIGATIONS
- Palestinian Youth Movement – Analysis of UK arms exports to Israel (May 2025)
Co-published with Workers for a Free Palestine, Progressive International - Palestinian Youth Movement – Canadian arms shipments to Israel (July 2025)
Documentation of shipments containing over 400,000 bullets, ammunition, and F-35 components - Palestinian Youth Movement – French military exports to Israel (June 2025)
Co-published with Progressive International, French Jewish Union for Peace, BDS France, Stop Arming Israel France - Australian Center for International Justice (ACIJ) – Despite government claims, Australia still exporting lethal arms to Israel
https://acij.org.au/despite-government-claims-australia-still-exporting-lethal-arms-to-israel - Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) – How top arms exporters have responded to the war in Gaza: 2025 update
https://www.sipri.org/commentary/topical-backgrounder/2025/how-top-arms-exporters-have-responded-war-gaza-2025-update
POLLING DATA
- YouGov UK – British attitudes to the Israel-Gaza conflict – July 2025 Update
https://yougov.co.uk/international/articles/52694-british-attitudes-to-the-israel-gaza-conflict-july-2025-update - Ipsos UK – British attitudes towards the conflict in Israel and Gaza
https://www.ipsos.com/en-uk/ipsos-poll-british-attitudes-towards-conflict-israel-and-gaza - Oxfam Australia – New polling reveals most Australians find Israel’s denial of aid to Palestinians in Gaza unjustifiable
https://media.oxfam.org.au/2025/05/new-polling-reveals-most-australians-find-israels-denial-of-aid-to-palestinians-in-gaza-unjustifiable-think-government-should-do-more-aid-organisations - Union Aid Abroad – APHEDA – Most Australians think government should do more to pressure Israel
https://apheda.org.au/press-release-new-polling-reveals-most-australians-find-israels-denial-of-aid-to-palestinians-in-gaza-unjustifiable-think-government-should-do-more-aid-organisations - Pew Research Center – Most people across 24 surveyed countries have negative views of Israel and Netanyahu
https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/06/03/most-people-across-24-surveyed-countries-have-negative-views-of-israel-and-netanyahu/
NEWS COVERAGE
- The Intercept – These Countries Recognized Palestine — But Still Send Arms to Israel
https://theintercept.com/2025/09/25/palestine-statehood-israel-arms-sales/ - NBC News – Palestinian state recognition grows as U.S., Israel boycott UNGA summit
https://www.nbcnews.com/world/middle-east/palestinian-state-recognition-us-israel-boycott-unga-summit-rcna232874 - CNN – Canada, Australia and UK recognize Palestinian statehood
https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/palestinian-statehood-israel-gaza-09-21-25 - BBC News – Multiple reports on British recognition and policy (2025)
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news - Al Jazeera – Which are the 150+ countries that have recognised Palestine as of 2025?
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/9/23/which-are-the-150-countries-that-have-recognised-palestine-as-of-2025
THINK TANKS & POLICY ANALYSIS
- Carnegie Endowment for International Peace – Palestine, the Wave of Western Recognition, and a Global System in Transformation
https://carnegieendowment.org/emissary/2025/09/palestine-statehood-recognition-what-it-means?lang=en - International Crisis Group – Can the World Make Recognition of Palestine’s Statehood Matter?
https://www.crisisgroup.org/middle-east-north-africa/israelpalestine/can-world-make-recognition-palestines-statehood-matter - Chatham House – Recognition of Palestine can be more than symbolic if Europe and Gulf states remain aligned
https://www.chathamhouse.org/2025/09/recognition-palestine-can-be-more-symbolic-if-europe-and-gulf-states-remain-aligned - Council on Foreign Relations – The Quest for Palestinian Statehood: What to Know
https://www.cfr.org/article/quest-palestinian-statehood-what-know - Security Council Report – The Middle East, including the Palestinian Question, October 2025 Monthly Forecast
https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/monthly-forecast/2025-10/the-middle-east-including-the-palestinian-question-22.php
ALTERNATIVE MEDIA & CRITICAL ANALYSIS
- Peoples Dispatch – Western recognition of Palestinian statehood: a symbolic move or real progress towards a just solution?
https://peoplesdispatch.org/2025/09/27/western-recognition-of-palestinian-statehood-a-symbolic-move-or-real-progress-towards-a-just-solution/ - Peoples Dispatch – What’s behind western recognition of Palestinian statehood?
https://peoplesdispatch.org/2025/09/30/whats-behind-western-recognition-of-palestinian-statehood/ - Jewish Currents – The Recognition Trick
https://jewishcurrents.org/the-recognition-trick - Manara Magazine – The Politics of Recognition: Palestine at the Crossroads
https://manaramagazine.org/2025/10/the-politics-of-recognition-palestine/ - The Washington Post – Opinion: Is Palestine statehood possible?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/interactive/2025/palestine-statehood-un-general-assembly/ - Foundation for Middle East Peace – Top News & Analysis on Israel/Palestine: August 1-8, 2025
https://fmep.org/resource/top-news-analysis-on-israel-palestine-august-1-8-2025/ - The Elders – Now is the time to recognise Palestinian statehood
https://theelders.org/news/now-time-recognise-palestinian-statehood
REFERENCE & BACKGROUND
- Wikipedia – International recognition of Palestine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_recognition_of_Palestine - UN General Assembly Resolutions:
- Resolution 67/19 (November 29, 2012): Observer State status for Palestine
- Resolution ES-10/23 (May 10, 2024): Additional rights for Palestine at the UN
- New York Declaration (September 12, 2025): Supported by 142 countries
- International Court of Justice – Advisory Opinion on Israeli Occupation (2024)
https://www.icj-cij.org - Montevideo Convention on the Rights and Duties of States (1933)
Defines four criteria for statehood: population, territory, government, capacity for international relations - UN Resolution 194 (December 11, 1948) – Right of return for Palestinian refugees
CASUALTY & HUMANITARIAN DATA
- Palestinian Ministry of Health – Official casualty figures: Over 66,000 direct conflict-related deaths in Gaza since October 7, 2023; 369 verified deaths from malnutrition (as of September 28, 2025)
- UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) – Regular situation reports on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza
https://www.unocha.org - UN Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territories – Reports on war crimes, crimes against humanity (September 23, 2025)
© Michael Hollister — Redistribution, publication or reuse of this text is explicitly welcome. The only requirement is proper source attribution and a link to www.michael-hollister.com (or in printed form the note “Source: www.michael-hollister.com”).
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