Lisbon, MINA – Portugal has declared that it will officially recognize the state of Palestine. In a statement on Friday, the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the recognition will take place on Sunday, a day before a high-level conference on Palestinian statehood at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirms that Portugal will recognise the State of Palestine,” the ministry wrote in a statement on its website.
“The Official Declaration of Recognition will take place on Sunday, September 21st, before next week’s High-Level Conference,” the statement added.
Portugal has joined Australia, Canada, France, and the United Kingdom in announcing plans to recognise a Palestinian state.
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Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel indicated last week that Portugal was considering this significant step, marking a notable shift in the country’s foreign policy.
Out of 193 UN member states, 147 have already recognized Palestine as a state. In 2012, Palestine was also granted non-member observer state status at the UN.
Portugal’s announcement comes just a few days after a major UN investigation found that Israel’s war in Gaza constitutes genocide.
At least 65,141 people have been killed and 165,925 injured since the Israeli attacks began in October 2023. Thousands more are believed to be buried under the rubble. []
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