Overview

• Britain, France, Canada, Australia and several other countries formally recognized a Palestinian state during UN week, bringing recognitions to roughly 150 of 193 UN members.
• The United States opposes recognition and can block UN admission through the Security Council, and it recently refused visas to a Palestinian delegation to the General Assembly.
• The U.S. State Department on July 31 announced sanctions on the Palestinian Authority and the PLO, citing incitement and payments linked to terrorism.
• Research and recent approvals detail accelerating Israeli settlement growth, including the E1 corridor move that critics say could sever north–south West Bank contiguity.
• Governance remains fragmented with Hamas dominant in Gaza and a contested Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, even as recognizing states insist Hamas should play no role.