As of late 2023–2025, approximately 26 to 29 United Nations member states do not formally recognize the State of Israel or maintain diplomatic relations with it. These are predominantly Muslim-majority nations in the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia, alongside countries like Cuba, North Korea, and Venezuela.
Many countries, primarily in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa, do not recognize Israel, including Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Kuwait, Algeria, Libya, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, North Korea, Cuba, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Bangladesh, with some having severed ties or suspended relations, largely due to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and geopolitical alignments, while others like UAE, Bahrain, Morocco have normalized relations recently.
None! Israel allows tourists from every single nation, even those that do not recognize Israel. Every nationality is allowed to enter Israel, but some need a visa approved in advance. Check out our article on visas to Israel to see which type of visa you'll need for your journey.
As of 6 November 2023, Bolivia has severed diplomatic relations with Israel. Likewise, Bolivia is considered the first country among Latin American countries to cut diplomatic ties with Israel.
The United States has been a major contributor to Israel providing significant military aid.
Australia. In 2025, the Albanese government was criticized for supplying parts for F-35 fighter jets to the global supply chain that can be accessed by Israel. ...
Since our independence in 1957, Malaysia as a country has not established any diplomatic relations with the state of Israel. Aside from us not being allowed to travel there, Israeli people also not allowed to travel here without some approval from the Home Ministry.
If your passport contains Israeli stamps or visas, Iranian authorities will refuse your entry. If you overstay your visa in Iran for any reason, you'll incur a fine.
The State of Israel and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have never had formal diplomatic relations. In 1947, Saudi Arabia voted against the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine, and currently does not recognize Israeli sovereignty.
Egypt (1979), the Palestinian Authority (1993), Jordan (1994), Bahrain (2020), United Arab Emirates (2020), Sudan (2020) and Morocco (2020), signed peace treaties or agreements that ended their participation in the boycott of Israel.
He'll drive out many nations to make room for you. He'll drive out the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. Those seven nations are larger and stronger than you are. 2The Lord your God will hand them over to you.
The People's Republic of China (PRC) and the State of Israel formally established diplomatic relations in 1992. While the Republic of China had de jure recognized Israeli sovereignty in 1949, it eventually lost the Chinese Civil War, bringing the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to power across mainland China.
The State of Israel and the Republic of Türkiye formally established diplomatic relations in March 1949. Less than a year after the Israeli Declaration of Independence, Turkey recognized Israeli sovereignty, making it the world's first Muslim-majority country to do so.
“Jews can buy homes anywhere in the world, in France, in Turkey and even in Iran,” said Shlomo Levinger a spokesman for some 20 Jewish families who want to move into the buildings.
Iran has greater military numbers (personnel, tanks, missiles) and a large network of regional proxies, while Israel holds a significant edge in advanced technology (especially air force and intelligence), superior air defenses, and powerful alliances, particularly with the U.S., making Israel generally considered more powerful despite Iran's quantitative advantages. Israel's qualitative strengths, like stealth fighters and high-tech defense systems (Iron Dome, Arrow), often counter Iran's sheer size, though Iran's vast missile stockpile remains a major threat.
Israeli passport holders are forbidden from entering Malaysia without written permission from the Malaysian Ministry of Home Affairs. However, Israeli citizens who are also nationals of other countries, i.e., holding more than one citizenship, may enter Malaysia using their non-Israeli passports.
As of 2025, 29 of the 193 UN member states do not formally recognize Israeli sovereignty; 26 of the 29 non-recognizing countries are located within the Muslim world, with Cuba, North Korea, and Venezuela representing the remainder.
Can you enter Arab countries if you have been to Israel?
Some Arab countries will refuse entry to anybody who has an Israeli passport stamp (it is no problem to visit Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, Oman, or the UAE with a stamp).
In turn, Israel provides a strategic American foothold in the region as well as intelligence and advanced technological partnerships. Relations with Israel are an important factor in the U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. Embassy of Israel, Washington, D.C.
