Portuguese Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel announced that his country will recognise the State of Palestine.
“Portugal is in favour of a two-state solution as a common path towards a just and lasting peace that will promote coexistence and peaceful relations between Israel and Palestine,” he told reporters on 21 September at the headquarters of Portugal’s permanent mission to the United Nations in New York on the eve of the start of the annual session of the UN General Assembly.
The minister also noted the need for a quick ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and added that Hamas (a Palestinian group recognised as terrorist in the EU and the US) “cannot have any form of control in Gaza or beyond”.
Before this, three countries – Britain, Canada and Australia – simultaneously announced official recognition of Palestinian statehood. The respective statements were released by the prime ministers of these states.
On 12 September, the UN General Assembly approved a resolution in support of the so-called New York Declaration – a statement of principles for a peaceful settlement in the Middle East based on the establishment of an independent Palestinian state without Hamas in power, developed at the initiative of France and Saudi Arabia. Israel has expressed disagreement with the document.
The war in the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in general is expected to be one of the central topics at the session of the General Assembly with the participation of leaders of many states, which starts on 22 September.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would oppose calls for a Palestinian state during the measure, calling the initiative “a danger to Israel’s existence” and “an absurd reward for terror.”
The US administration also previously rejected the intentions of several countries to formally recognise the State of Palestine during the UN General Assembly in September. “This thoughtless decision only serves Hamas propaganda and harms peace. It is a slap in the face to the victims of 7 October,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Paris will recognise a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September. This decision, according to Macron, will help the peaceful resolution of the Middle East conflict.
The state of Palestine is now recognised by about 150 of the 193 UN member states. The US and Israel, among others, refuse to recognise it. According to UN resolutions, the territory of the state should consist of the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, but Israel does not agree with such borders.