Amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, which has claimed hundreds of lives on both sides, many people are showing interest in the history of Palestine. Some of them are eager to know which Middle East countries officially recognise the State of Israel.
Though most Western nations recognise Israel, very few Middle Eastern countries give recognition to it.
Israel officially recognised by six Middle East countries
UAE, Bahrain, Sudan, Morocco, and Bhutan are the most recent countries that recognised Israel in 2020.
Following is the list of Middle Eastern countries that recognise Israel:
- Bahrain
- Cyprus
- Egypt
- Jordan
- Turkey
- UAE
Out of this list of Middle Eastern countries, Cyprus was the first to recognise the State of Israel on January 21, 1961. Among Muslim countries, Egypt was the first to recognise Israel on March 26, 1979.
Israel-Palestine conflict
The Israel-Palestine conflict, which has its roots in the late 19th century, is one of the world’s longest continuing conflicts. Various attempts to resolve the conflict have failed.
Currently, a war is ongoing between Israel and Hamas, triggered after Hamas fighters launched attacks on Israel, resulting in hundreds of deaths. In response, Israel declared war against Hamas and started launching airstrikes, which also resulted in deaths in Gaza.
In view of the ongoing war, it becomes important to know which countries recognise the state of Israel.
