The Chessboard

The occupation of Palestine

The region and the powers around Palestine, and where each stands towards Palestine and Israel — then the land itself. Choose Current reality for October 2026, or a future scenario to see where each power stands on it and how it would redraw the land, and how each measures against the principles of our policy reforms.

Today
Future scenarios
Yemen — No relations with Israel; backs the Palestinians by diplomacyUzbekistan — Recognises PalestineIsle of Man — Recognises PalestineUnited Kingdom — Western states that recognised Palestine and curb arms, trade or settlersUnited Arab Emirates — Peace or normalisation with Israel; backs a Palestinian stateUkraine — Recognises PalestineTurkmenistan — Recognises PalestineTurkey — Cut trade or ties with Israel over GazaTunisia — No relations with Israel; backs the Palestinians by diplomacyTogo — Recognises PalestineTajikistan — Recognises PalestineSyria — No relations with Israel; backs the Palestinians by diplomacySwitzerland — Has not recognised Palestine; backs two states in principleSweden — Western states that recognised Palestine and curb arms, trade or settlersS. Sudan — Recognises PalestineSudan — Peace or normalisation with Israel; backs a Palestinian stateSpain — Western states that recognised Palestine and curb arms, trade or settlersSomalia — No relations with Israel; backs the Palestinians by diplomacySomaliland — No relations with Israel; backs the Palestinians by diplomacySlovakia — Recognises PalestineSlovenia — Western states that recognised Palestine and curb arms, trade or settlersSierra Leone — Recognises PalestineSerbia — Recognises PalestineSenegal — Recognises PalestineSaudi Arabia — No relations with Israel; backs the Palestinians by diplomacyRussia — Recognises Palestine, keeps close ties with IsraelRomania — Recognises PalestineQatar — No relations with Israel; backs the Palestinians by diplomacyPortugal — Western states that recognised Palestine and curb arms, trade or settlersPoland — Recognises PalestinePakistan — No relations with Israel; backs the Palestinians by diplomacyOman — No relations with Israel; backs the Palestinians by diplomacyNigeria — Recognises PalestineNiger — Recognises PalestineNetherlands — Has not recognised Palestine; backs two states in principleMorocco — Peace or normalisation with Israel; backs a Palestinian stateWestern Sahara — Peace or normalisation with Israel; backs a Palestinian stateMontenegro — Recognises PalestineMoldova — Has not recognised Palestine; backs two states in principleMauritania — No relations with Israel; backs the Palestinians by diplomacyMalta — Western states that recognised Palestine and curb arms, trade or settlersMali — Recognises PalestineNorth Macedonia — Recognises PalestineLuxembourg — Western states that recognised Palestine and curb arms, trade or settlersLithuania — Has not recognised Palestine; backs two states in principleLibya — No relations with Israel; backs the Palestinians by diplomacyLiberia — Recognises PalestineLebanon — No relations with Israel; backs the Palestinians by diplomacyLatvia — Has not recognised Palestine; backs two states in principleKyrgyzstan — Recognises PalestineKuwait — No relations with Israel; backs the Palestinians by diplomacyKosovo — Has not recognised Palestine; backs two states in principleKazakhstan — Peace or normalisation with Israel; backs a Palestinian stateJordan — Peace or normalisation with Israel; backs a Palestinian stateItaly — Has not recognised Palestine; backs two states in principleIsrael — Israel — the occupying powerPalestine — Palestine — occupiedIreland — Western states that recognised Palestine and curb arms, trade or settlersIraq — No relations with Israel; backs the Palestinians by diplomacyIran — Arms the armed resistance; at war with IsraelIndia — Recognises Palestine, keeps close ties with IsraelHungary — Israel's main backers — arms, money or diplomatic coverGuinea — Recognises PalestineGreece — Has not recognised Palestine; backs two states in principleGhana — Recognises PalestineGermany — Israel's main backers — arms, money or diplomatic coverGeorgia — Recognises PalestineFrance — Western states that recognised Palestine and curb arms, trade or settlersEthiopia — Recognises PalestineEstonia — Has not recognised Palestine; backs two states in principleEritrea — Has not recognised Palestine; backs two states in principleEgypt — Peace or normalisation with Israel; backs a Palestinian stateDjibouti — Recognises PalestineDenmark — Has not recognised Palestine; backs two states in principleCzechia — Israel's main backers — arms, money or diplomatic coverN. Cyprus — Recognises PalestineCyprus — Recognises PalestineCroatia — Has not recognised Palestine; backs two states in principleCôte d'Ivoire — Recognises PalestineChad — Recognises PalestineCentral African Rep. — Recognises PalestineCameroon — Recognises PalestineBurkina Faso — Recognises PalestineBulgaria — Recognises PalestineBosnia and Herz. — Recognises PalestineBenin — Recognises PalestineBelgium — Western states that recognised Palestine and curb arms, trade or settlersBelarus — Recognises PalestineBahrain — Peace or normalisation with Israel; backs a Palestinian stateAzerbaijan — Peace or normalisation with Israel; backs a Palestinian stateAustria — Has not recognised Palestine; backs two states in principleArmenia — Recognises PalestineAndorra — Recognises PalestineAlgeria — No relations with Israel; backs the Palestinians by diplomacyAlbania — Recognises PalestineAfghanistan — No relations with Israel; backs the Palestinians by diplomacyYemenUKUAEUkraineTurkeySyriaSwedenSudanSpainSaudi ArabiaRussiaQatarPolandPakistanOmanMoroccoLibyaLebanonKazakhstanJordanItalyIsraelIrelandIraqIranHungaryGreeceGermanyFranceEgyptAzerbaijanAlgeriaPalestine
  • Israel — the occupying power
  • Israel's main backers — arms, money or diplomatic cover
  • Has not recognised Palestine; backs two states in principle
  • Western states that recognised Palestine and curb arms, trade or settlers
  • Peace or normalisation with Israel; backs a Palestinian state
  • Recognises Palestine, keeps close ties with Israel
  • Recognises Palestine
  • No relations with Israel; backs the Palestinians by diplomacy
  • Cut trade or ties with Israel over Gaza
  • Arms the armed resistance; at war with Israel
  • Palestine — occupied

The powers today

Who stands where

Israel holds the land with the arms and diplomatic cover of the United States and Germany. Most of the world recognises Palestine, but few act: the Arab states at peace with Israel kept their ties through the war, Turkey and South Africa broke with it, and Iran arms the groups at war with it.

Tap a state on the map, or a card below, for what it does.

Why they stand where they do

  • Historical

    • Zionism's aim, from the 1890s, of a Jewish state in the land, after centuries of persecution in Europe and then the Holocaust.
    • The state founded in 1948 with the expulsion or flight of about 750,000 Palestinians, whose return it has always refused, to keep a Jewish majority.
    • The 1967 conquest, which religious nationalists see as the return to biblical 'Judea and Samaria' and the settlers' movement made a mission.

    Today

    • Security control from the river to the sea; to destroy Hamas, bring back the hostages and keep Gaza from rearming.
    • To end Iran's nuclear and missile programmes and break the network of Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis around it.
    • Its settler parties seek annexation of the West Bank and, some, resettlement of Gaza; critics say the war also serves Netanyahu's political survival and his corruption trial before the 27 October 2026 election.

  • Historical

    • The Nakba of 1948 and the refugees' right of return; the occupation since 1967.
    • The PLO's recognition of Israel at Oslo (1993) for a state on the 1967 lines that never came; Hamas, founded in the first intifada (1987), rejects that path.

    Today

    • Survival in Gaza; an end to the siege, the occupation and the settlements; the release of some 9,000 prisoners.
    • The Palestinian Authority seeks statehood through recognition and the courts; Hamas seeks to keep its arms and a say in Gaza's future.

  • Historical

    • Truman recognised Israel eleven minutes after it was declared (1948).
    • After 1967 Israel became a Cold War ally against Soviet-armed Arab states; Camp David (1979) bound Egypt and Israel to US aid.
    • Strong domestic support — the pro-Israel lobby (AIPAC) and tens of millions of Christian Zionist evangelicals.

    Today

    • Israel as the anchor of US military power in the region, guaranteed a 'qualitative military edge' by US law; $3.8 billion a year under the 2016 agreement.
    • To stop an Iranian bomb and keep Gulf oil and shipping lanes under its control.
    • To widen the Abraham Accords to Saudi Arabia; the 3 November 2026 midterms weigh on every move.

  • Historical

    • The Balfour Declaration (1917) promised a Jewish national home to win support in the First World War and secure the route to Suez and India.
    • Ruled the Mandate from 1920 and left in 1948 with the conflict unresolved.

    Today

    • Alliance with the US and its arms industry (F-35 parts) against public anger and a Labour base that pushed recognition in 2025.

  • Historical

    • Partner in the Sykes–Picot carve-up (1916); armed Israel in the 1950s and helped it build the Dimona reactor.
    • De Gaulle's arms embargo after 1967 turned France towards the Arab world.

    Today

    • Europe's largest Muslim and Jewish communities; Macron's bid to lead European diplomacy; close ties with Saudi Arabia and the Gulf.

  • Historical

    • The Holocaust: reparations from 1952, and Israel's security declared part of Germany's reason of state (Staatsräson, Merkel, 2008).

    Today

    • Staatsräson still governs policy; its arms industry; pressure from EU law and courts over exports used in Gaza.

  • Historical

    • Orbán's alliance with Netanyahu and the nationalist right since 2010.

    Today

    • A shared front against the EU's liberal mainstream and the ICC; alignment with Trump.

  • Historical

    • Ireland's own history of colonisation, partition and famine; Norway's role as host of the Oslo talks; Spain's long ties with the Arab world.

    Today

    • Public opinion and international law: these three recognised Palestine together in May 2024 and press the EU to act.

  • Historical

    • The USSR voted for partition and recognised Israel in 1948, then armed Egypt and Syria; recognised Palestine in 1988.

    Today

    • About a million Russian-speaking Israelis keep ties close.
    • A Middle East war draws US weapons and attention from Ukraine and raises oil prices; Iran is a partner that supplied it drones.

  • Historical

    • Backed the PLO in the Mao era; ties with Israel only from 1992.

    Today

    • Oil from the Gulf and Iran; the Belt and Road; Israeli technology and the Haifa port terminal its firm runs since 2021.
    • Presents itself as the Global South's champion against US hegemony.

  • Historical

    • Gandhi's and Nehru's solidarity with Palestine and the Non-Aligned Movement; ties with Israel only from 1992.

    Today

    • The biggest buyer of Israeli arms; an affinity between Modi's government and Israel's right.
    • Gulf oil and nine million Indian workers in the Gulf keep it voting for two states.

  • Historical

    • Ottoman rule over Palestine until 1917; the first Muslim-majority state to recognise Israel (1949), with close military ties in the 1990s.
    • Broke with Israel after its raid on the Gaza flotilla ship Mavi Marmara (2010).

    Today

    • Erdoğan's claim to lead the Muslim world and his base at home; ties with Hamas's leaders; rivalry with Israel over Syria.

  • Historical

    • Under the Shah, an ally of Israel; the 1979 revolution made Palestine a pillar of its identity (Quds Day).
    • Built Hezbollah after Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon, and later armed Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Houthis.

    Today

    • The survival of the Islamic Republic after the killing of its Supreme Leader; deterrence through the 'axis' and the Strait of Hormuz.
    • Standing in the Muslim world as the one state that fights for Palestine.

  • Historical

    • Custodian of Mecca and Medina; led the 1973 oil embargo; author of the Arab Peace Initiative (2002): peace for withdrawal to the 1967 lines.

    Today

    • A US defence pact and civil nuclear deal, which Washington ties to normalisation with Israel.
    • Vision 2030 needs calm; rivalry with Iran; its religious standing and public opinion require a Palestinian state first.

  • Historical

    • Fought Israel in 1948, 1956, 1967 and 1973; won back Sinai by the 1979 treaty, with about $1.3 billion a year in US military aid since.

    Today

    • Fear of Gazans being driven into Sinai; border security; gas bought from Israel and Gulf money in its economic crisis.
    • Hostility to Hamas as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, which its government crushed in 2013.

  • Historical

    • Ruled the West Bank 1950–67; more than half its people are of Palestinian origin; peace treaty of 1994.

    Today

    • Fear of a mass transfer of Palestinians into Jordan; the Hashemite custodianship of al-Aqsa; US aid, and water and gas from Israel.

  • Historical

    • Never fought Israel; ties grew quietly from the 2000s.

    Today

    • Normalisation for US arms, technology and trade; hostility to Islamist movements, Hamas included; a regional reach through ports from Yemen to Sudan.

  • Historical

    • Hosted an Israeli trade office 1996–2009; long ties with the Muslim Brotherhood.

    Today

    • Hosts al-Udeid, the largest US base in the region; influence as the mediator no one can do without; Al Jazeera.

  • Historical

    • Took in Palestinian refugees in 1948; Israel's 1982 invasion and occupation of the south until 2000 gave birth to Hezbollah.

    Today

    • Hezbollah keeps its arms and fights on; the state seeks Israel's withdrawal from the south and a monopoly of arms.

  • Historical

    • Lost the Golan in 1967 and failed to retake it in 1973.

    Today

    • Since Assad's fall (December 2024) the new government wants Israel out of the buffer zone and money to rebuild, and avoids war.

  • Historical

    • The Houthis' slogan since the 2000s — 'death to America, death to Israel' — and the war since 2014.

    Today

    • The Houthis strike Israel and Red Sea shipping for Gaza, and to stand with Iran and win standing at home.

  • Historical

    • The ANC's struggle against apartheid, and Israel's arms ties with the apartheid regime; Mandela: 'our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians'.

    Today

    • To uphold international law through the ICJ and lead the Global South.

Beyond the map

The land itself

Israel (1949 armistice line) — Israel within the 1949 armistice lineGolan Heights — Syrian, occupied 1967, annexed 1981 (UNSC 497: null and void) — Annexed by Israel (recognised by almost no state)UN buffer zone in Syria — Israeli forces inside since December 2024 — Occupied — under Israeli military controlGaza Strip west of the Yellow Line — Palestinian ruleGaza behind the Yellow Line (approximate) — Occupied — under Israeli military controlWest Bank Area A (incl. Hebron H1) — Palestinian ruleWest Bank Area B — Palestinian civil rule, Israeli security controlWest Bank nature reserve (Wye River, 1998) — Palestinian civil rule, Israeli security controlWest Bank Area C (incl. Hebron H2) — Occupied — under Israeli military controlNo man's land (1949–67) — Occupied — under Israeli military controlEast Jerusalem (annexed 1967/1980) — Annexed by Israel (recognised by almost no state)JerusalemRamallahNablusJeninTulkarmHebronJerichoGaza CityKhan YounisRafahTel AvivHaifaBeershebaEilatJordan ValleyAlmost all Area C
  • Israel within the 1949 armistice line
  • Annexed by Israel (recognised by almost no state)
  • Occupied — under Israeli military control
  • Palestinian rule
  • Palestinian civil rule, Israeli security control
  • Israeli settlements (built-up area, Peace Now)
  • Israeli firing zones — closed military areas
  • Separation barrier (solid: built; dashed: planned)
  • Yellow Line at the October 2025 ceasefire (53%)
  • Refugee camps emptied since January 2025

Current reality

Current reality — October 2026

Fifty-nine years after 1967, Israel holds every part of the occupied Palestinian territory by force. The ICJ held in July 2024 that the occupation is unlawful and must end; instead, Israel holds about 63% of Gaza behind the Yellow Line and keeps full control of Area C, 59% of the West Bank, where its settlements grow fastest.

On the ground

  • Gaza: Israel holds about 63% of the Strip (IDF Gaza Division, 2 October 2026) — 53% at the October 2025 ceasefire, 58% by December (Forensic Architecture); OCHA counts movement restricted across 65%. About 2.1 million people live in what is left, some 16,000 to a square kilometre.
  • Gaza: more than 74,000 killed since October 2023 (Gaza Health Ministry), nearly 1,500 since the ceasefire; 82% of structures damaged or destroyed (UNOSAT); only 3% of cropland both undamaged and reachable (FAO).
  • West Bank: Area C — 59% of the land, all of the Jordan Valley — is under full Israeli civil and military control; Area B (17%) has Palestinian civil rule under Israeli security control; Area A (19%), the cities, is Palestinian, though raided at will.
  • More than 750,000 settlers live in about 147 settlements (EU, 2025) and 363 outposts (Peace Now, April 2026); the government had declared 102 new settlements by April 2026, and E1 — 3,401 homes cutting East Jerusalem off from the rest of the West Bank — went to tender in August 2026.
  • Firing zones close 18% of the West Bank; the barrier runs mostly inside it — 464 km built and 248 km planned or under construction (OCHA). The ICJ found it unlawful in 2004.
  • More than 33,000 people forced out of the Jenin, Tulkarm and Nur Shams refugee camps since January 2025, kept out by repeatedly renewed military orders (OCHA). Settler attacks rose from about three a day before October 2023 to almost seven a day in 2026 (OCHA).
  • About 9,243 Palestinians held in Israeli custody in January 2026, 3,385 of them without charge or trial; a law of 30 March 2026 lets military courts hang Palestinians convicted of killing Israelis, within 90 days and with no pardon (UN CERD).
  • East Jerusalem has been annexed since 1967/1980 and the Syrian Golan since 1981 — both declared null and void by the Security Council (resolutions 478 and 497).

The law

  • ICJ advisory opinion, 19 July 2024: the occupation, the settlements and the annexation are unlawful; Israel must withdraw 'as rapidly as possible' and make reparation, and every state must not aid it.
  • UN General Assembly resolution ES-10/24 (September 2024) set Israel twelve months to end the occupation; the deadline passed in September 2025.
  • ICC arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant (November 2024); a UN Commission of Inquiry finding of genocide (September 2025); South Africa's genocide case at the ICJ continues.
  • 157 of the 193 UN member states recognise the State of Palestine.

Against our principles: Under the aggressor rule of The Chessboard the occupier is the aggressor — always. Holding a people's land by force fails Justice (adl) and Kept covenants outright, and the siege, the killing and the detention without trial fail Protection of life and Dignity.

Oslo areas, firing zones, the barrier (January 2018 route) and Gaza's pre-war buffer: UN OCHA oPt via the Humanitarian Data Exchange; settlements: Peace Now built-up areas; boundaries: OCHA/HDX and Natural Earth. Gaza's Yellow Line has no published geometry and is drawn to the reported share of the Strip — approximate. Country borders: Natural Earth. Figures gathered 2026-10-13.

⚔ The aggressor

Israel, the occupying power

Identified by: Occupation Whoever holds another people's land by force, or drives them from their homes, is the aggressor — always, even when the other side fired first. Qur'an 22:39–40, 2:191

Deaths: More than 74,000 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023 (Gaza Health Ministry; a Max Planck study puts it at 100,000–126,000) and about 2,000 Israelis

Where it stands: The ceasefire marked one year on 10 October 2026 but is largely nominal: daily Israeli strikes at reduced scale, no peacekeepers, no reconstruction, and 1.4 million people facing crisis-level hunger. South Africa's ICJ genocide case continues, with a merits ruling years away.

Palestine is one front of The Iran war: Iran, Israel, Palestine, the United States and Yemen — its timeline, motives, parties and articles are on that page.

The powers

Israel — the occupying power

  • Israel: Occupies the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza since 1967 and the Syrian Golan; holds about 63% of Gaza in October 2026. At war with Iran since June 2025.

Israel's main backers — arms, money or diplomatic cover

  • United States: Israel's main arms supplier and shield: at least $21.7 billion in military aid since October 2023 on top of $3.8 billion a year, vetoes of Gaza ceasefire resolutions, and war on Iran beside Israel in 2025–26. Brokered the October 2025 ceasefire and leads the Board of Peace; voted against the New York Declaration.
  • Germany: Israel's second arms supplier (about 30% of its major arms imports in 2019–23, SIPRI). Paused exports usable in Gaza in August 2025 and lifted the pause on 24 November 2025. Has not recognised Palestine.
  • Hungary: Israel's firmest friend in the EU: hosted Netanyahu despite the ICC warrant and left the ICC; voted against the New York Declaration; joined the Board of Peace.
  • Czechia: One of Israel's closest European allies; blocks EU measures against Israel.

Has not recognised Palestine; backs two states in principle

  • Italy: Has not recognised Palestine; stopped new arms licences after October 2023 but honoured old ones; voted for the New York Declaration.
  • Netherlands: Has not recognised Palestine; barred the ministers Ben-Gvir and Smotrich from entry (July 2025).
  • Denmark: Has not recognised Palestine; voted for resolution 2803 on the Security Council.
  • Greece: Has not recognised Palestine; a close defence and energy partner of Israel. Voted for resolution 2803.
  • Kosovo: Recognised by Israel in 2020 and opened its embassy in Jerusalem; signed an agreement to join the Gaza stabilisation force on 7 September 2026.

Western states that recognised Palestine and curb arms, trade or settlers

  • United Kingdom: Recognised Palestine in September 2025. Suspended about 30 of 350 arms licences in 2024 but still supplies F-35 parts; sanctioned violent settlers and two Israeli ministers (June 2025). Issued the Balfour Declaration (1917) and ruled the Mandate.
  • France: Recognised Palestine in September 2025 and co-chaired, with Saudi Arabia, the New York conference on two states.
  • Spain: Recognised Palestine in May 2024; wrote an arms embargo on Israel into law in 2025; leads calls to suspend the EU–Israel Association Agreement.
  • Ireland: Recognised Palestine in May 2024; joined South Africa's genocide case at the ICJ; legislating to ban goods from the settlements.
  • Norway: Recognised Palestine in May 2024; its sovereign wealth fund sold out of Israeli firms tied to the occupation.
  • Belgium: Recognised Palestine in September 2025; banned imports from the settlements.
  • Portugal: Recognised Palestine in September 2025.
  • Slovenia: Recognised Palestine in June 2024; the first EU state to ban arms trade with Israel (August 2025). Voted for resolution 2803.
  • Luxembourg: Recognised Palestine in September 2025.
  • Malta: Recognised Palestine in September 2025.
  • Sweden: Recognised Palestine in 2014; presses for EU sanctions on Israeli ministers.
  • Canada: Recognised Palestine in September 2025, with Australia and the UK.
  • Australia: Recognised Palestine in September 2025.

Peace or normalisation with Israel; backs a Palestinian state

  • Egypt: The first Arab state at peace with Israel (1979). Holds the Rafah crossing; mediates with Qatar and the US; rejects any transfer of Gazans into Sinai. Joined the Board of Peace.
  • Jordan: Peace treaty with Israel since 1994; custodian of Jerusalem's Muslim and Christian holy sites; rejects any displacement of Palestinians into Jordan.
  • United Arab Emirates: Normalised in 2020 (Abraham Accords) and kept its ties through the war; called annexation a 'red line' (September 2025); a leading funder of Gaza aid.
  • Bahrain: Normalised in 2020 (Abraham Accords).
  • Morocco: Normalised in December 2020, when the US recognised its claim to Western Sahara in return.
  • Western Sahara: Held by Morocco.
  • Azerbaijan: Supplies a large share of Israel's oil and buys its arms; recognises Palestine.
  • Kazakhstan: Joined the Abraham Accords in November 2025.
  • Sudan: Signed the Abraham Accords in 2021 but never completed normalisation; consumed by its own war.

Recognises Palestine, keeps close ties with Israel

  • Russia: Recognised Palestine in 1988 (as the USSR) and keeps close ties with Israel. Condemned the strikes on Iran and shared intelligence with it, but sent no forces; abstained on resolution 2803.
  • China: Recognised Palestine in 1988; brokered the Beijing Declaration among 14 Palestinian factions (July 2024); one of Israel's largest trading partners. Called the strikes on Iran a flagrant violation of international law; abstained on resolution 2803.
  • India: Recognised Palestine in 1988 but is now among the biggest buyers of Israeli arms; votes for two-state resolutions. Invited to the Board of Peace.

Recognises Palestine

  • Albania: Committed troops to the Gaza stabilisation force.

No relations with Israel; backs the Palestinians by diplomacy

  • Saudi Arabia: No relations with Israel: normalisation only with an irreversible path to a Palestinian state. Co-chaired the New York conference; joined the Board of Peace. Its war in Yemen is on the Iran page.
  • Qatar: Hosts Hamas's political office at US request and mediates with Egypt and the US; Israel struck Hamas leaders in Doha in September 2025. Joined the Board of Peace.
  • Kuwait: Bars any dealings with Israel by law.
  • Oman: Mediates between the US and Iran.
  • Iraq: A 2022 law makes normalisation with Israel a crime; Iran-aligned militias fired on Israel and US bases.
  • Syria: Lost the Golan in 1967. Since December 2024 Israel holds the UN buffer zone and beyond and has struck across the country; the new government is in US-brokered security talks.
  • Lebanon: No relations. Hezbollah fights Israel; Israel kept five positions in the south and invaded again in March 2026 (see the Israel and Lebanon war).
  • Yemen: The recognised government has no ties with Israel. The Houthis, who hold Sanaa and the north, fired on Israel and on Red Sea shipping in support of Gaza.
  • Algeria: Recognises only Palestine; as an Arab member of the Security Council, voted for resolution 2803.
  • Mauritania: Cut ties with Israel in 2010.
  • Pakistan: Does not recognise Israel. Backed the US plan with seven Arab and Muslim states, voted for resolution 2803 and joined the Board of Peace; mediated the April 2026 US–Iran truce.
  • Somalia: Voted for resolution 2803 on the Security Council.

Cut trade or ties with Israel over Gaza

  • Turkey: Halted all trade with Israel in May 2024 and closed its ports and airspace to Israeli ships and planes in August 2025; applied to join South Africa's ICJ case. A guarantor of the Gaza ceasefire and on the Board of Peace's executive board.
  • South Africa: Brought the genocide case against Israel at the ICJ (December 2023) and filed new evidence in September 2026.

Arms the armed resistance; at war with Israel

  • Iran: Arms and funds Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah and the Houthis. Does not recognise Israel and proposes a referendum of Palestine's original inhabitants on one state. At war with Israel and the US since June 2025.

Palestine — occupied

  • Palestine: Recognised by 157 of 193 UN members; a UN observer state. The Palestinian Authority runs Areas A and B; Gaza west of the Yellow Line is under Hamas and the ceasefire.

How the land was taken

  1. 1917The Balfour Declaration promises a 'national home for the Jewish people' in a land whose people were about 90% Arab.
  2. 1947UN General Assembly resolution 181 proposes partition, giving 56% of the land to a Jewish state.
  3. 1948The Nakba: about 750,000 Palestinians expelled or flee, more than 500 villages emptied; Israel takes 78% of the land.
  4. 1949The armistice lines — the 'Green Line' — leave the West Bank to Jordan and Gaza to Egypt.
  5. Jun 1967Israel occupies the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Gaza, the Golan and Sinai; Security Council resolution 242 calls for withdrawal.
  6. 1980–81Israel annexes East Jerusalem and the Golan; the Security Council declares both null and void (resolutions 478 and 497).
  7. 1993–95The Oslo Accords split the West Bank into Areas A, B and C for a five-year interim — Area C was never handed over.
  8. 2002Israel begins the separation barrier, mostly inside the West Bank; the ICJ finds it unlawful in 2004.
  9. 2005–07Israel withdraws its settlers from Gaza but keeps its borders, sea and air; the blockade begins in 2007.
  10. Dec 2016Security Council resolution 2334: the settlements have 'no legal validity' and are a 'flagrant violation' of international law.
  11. 7 Oct 2023The Hamas-led attack on southern Israel; Israel's war on Gaza begins.
  12. Jul 2024The ICJ holds the occupation unlawful and orders it to end.
  13. Jan 2025Operation 'Iron Wall' empties the Jenin, Tulkarm and Nur Shams refugee camps.
  14. Sep 2025A UN Commission of Inquiry finds genocide in Gaza; the UK, France, Canada, Australia and others recognise Palestine.
  15. 10 Oct 2025The Gaza ceasefire: Israel pulls back to the Yellow Line, holding 53% of the Strip.
  16. Nov 2025Security Council resolution 2803 endorses the Board of Peace and a stabilisation force.
  17. 30 Mar 2026The Knesset passes a death penalty law that applies only to Palestinians.
  18. Aug 2026E1 goes to tender.
  19. Oct 2026Israel holds about 63% of Gaza; the ceasefire, a year old, 'exists in name only' (more than 100 NGOs).

Sources

How each nation is scored — the twelve principles of our policy reforms
  1. Justice (adl). No one's land, life, rights or wealth taken unjustly; justice upheld for everyone, even enemies, and what was wrongly taken given back. Economic, Financial, Political and National Policy Reform
  2. Protection of life (hifz al-nafs). Life is sacred: non-combatants never targeted, war only against real aggression, and no help given to another's aggression. Political Policy Reform; the objectives of the sharia (maqasid)
  3. Prohibition of usury and speculation (riba, gharar). Public and private finance built on shared risk and real assets, not interest-bearing debt or speculative bets. Economic, Financial, Political and National Policy Reform
  4. Circulation of wealth and zakat (tadawul al-mal). Wealth must not circulate only among the rich; zakat, endowments and fair wages meet every person's basic needs. Economic, Financial, Political and National Policy Reform
  5. Trust over common resources (amana). Water, energy, minerals and public assets belong to the whole community — not privatised, monopolised or signed away for private or foreign gain. Economic and Financial Policy Reform
  6. Accountability and truthfulness (muhasaba, sidq). Rulers, security forces and firms answer to law and to the public; no coups, state capture, bribery or concealment. Economic, Political and National Policy Reform
  7. Legitimate authority by consultation (shura). Rule rests on the community's consent, given through consultation and a free pledge — not inheritance, force or foreign backing. Political and National Policy Reform
  8. Kept covenants and peacemaking (wafa bil-ahd, sulh). Treaties, contracts and rulings honoured; an offer of peace met with peace; disputes ended by reconciliation. Economic, Financial and Political Policy Reform
  9. Independence and self-reliance (izza). No foreign power or creditor in control of the nation's revenues or decisions; its own strength, industry and knowledge built. Financial and Political Policy Reform
  10. Human dignity and privacy (karama). Every person's dignity protected — citizen or migrant; no spying on private lives, no torture or humiliation. Economic, Financial, Political and National Policy Reform
  11. Religious freedom (la ikraha fi al-din). No compulsion in religion: every faith free to worship, build and keep its places of worship, dress and teach — Muslims and minorities alike — with no state persecution, bans on religious dress or forced conversion. The objectives of the sharia (maqasid): protection of religion (hifz al-din); Qur'an 2:256
  12. Implementation of the sharia (tatbiq al-sharia). The sharia a source of the nation's law — in family and personal status, finance free of riba, the courts and governance — applied with due process and its objectives (maqasid) in view, not as a slogan. Economic, Financial, Political and National Policy Reform

These are the principles the Policy Reform pages draw from the expert opinions. Each nation is marked 0–5 on each from its record as a state — its economy, government and treatment of its people, and its conduct in its wars — drawn from UN bodies, the ICJ and ICC, human-rights monitors and the reporting under each war. The twelve marks make the percentage; each war a nation started, provoked or joined against another people then takes 15 points off it, and an aggressor always ranks below every nation that started no war. The score judges a state's conduct, not its people or their faith.