Portugal to recognize Palestinian ahead of UN General Assembly

Portugal will officially recognize Palestine, the Foreign Ministry announced Friday, becoming the latest country to take the step ahead of next week’s UN General Assembly.

“The ministry of foreign affairs confirms that Portugal will recognize the State of Palestine … the official declaration of recognition will be made on Sunday, 21 September,” it said on its website, noting the move comes before the high-level conference in New York.

Lisbon flagged its intentions in July, citing “the extremely worrying evolution of the conflict,” the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip and Israel’s repeated threats to annex Palestinian territory.

Other Western nations, including Belgium, France and the UK, are expected to formally recognize Palestine during the assembly.

French President Emmanuel Macron said in July that France would, while British Prime Minister Keir Starmer indicated the UK would act if Israel did not meet conditions aimed at improving Gaza’s humanitarian situation.

Starmer said countries are “working together to end the humanitarian catastrophe in the Middle East,” adding that the recognition’s timing “has nothing to do with the state visit” of US President Donald Trump, who noted he has “a disagreement with the prime minister on that score.”

The UN gathering will focus on advancing a two-state solution to the long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

UN investigators recently concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, where the death toll has surpassed 65,000. Around three-quarters of UN member states already recognize Palestine, with Ireland, Spain and Norway formalizing recognition in 2024.