The Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that it will officially announce the recognition tomorrow, Sunday, ahead of the UN General Assembly meeting.
In a statement on Saturday, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the move, calling on other countries to "engage in recognizing the State of Palestine to protect the two-state solution and contribute to international efforts to stop the war and protect civilians."
In a related development, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that he informed his Palestinian counterpart, Mahmoud Abbas, during a phone call of his intention to officially recognize the State of Palestine next Monday.
Macron said in a post on the X platform that he discussed with Abbas the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territories, particularly in the Gaza Strip, stressing that recognition would be part of a broader peace plan to be presented in New York.
The phone call also addressed arrangements for the international peace conference scheduled for Monday in New York. Abbas praised French and Saudi efforts to garner international support and increasing recognition of the Palestinian state, as well as providing support for building Palestinian institutions.
Editor's Picks
The Qassam Brigades publishes a "farewell photo" of 47 Israeli prisoners in Gaza.
Amid escalating international isolation, UEFA considers excluding Israel from European qualifiers
Dozens killed in Gaza, including aid recipients, as Israeli starvation death toll rises to 440
Canada bans Irish band Nikaab from entering the country for opposing the genocide against Palestinians.
The two sides also discussed the seriousness of unilateral Israeli measures, including settlement expansion, settler terrorism, the threat of annexation, and attacks on Islamic and Christian holy sites.
This diplomatic movement comes after the UN General Assembly adopted, on September 12, a resolution endorsing the "New York Declaration," calling for the recognition of the State of Palestine and the promotion of the two-state solution. The resolution was supported by 142 countries, opposed by 10, and abstained from voting by 12.
Recently, several countries have announced their willingness to recognize Palestine, including Malta, Britain, Luxembourg, France, Australia, and Armenia. Of the 193 member states of the United Nations, at least 149 recognize the State of Palestine.
With American support, Israel has been committing genocide in Gaza since October 7, 2023, leaving 65,174 martyrs and 166,071 wounded, most of them children and women, and a famine that has claimed the lives of 440 Palestinians, including 147 children.
