Portuguese Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel announces Portugal will recognise a Palestinian State ahead of the UN General Assembly: Image credit: Daily Sabah
(The Post News) – Portugal announced on Friday that it would officially recognize a Palestinian state Sunday, Sept. 21, the latest Western nation to shift policy during the war in Gaza.
The move was confirmed in a statement by Portuguese Foreign Ministry, saying the Official Declaration of Recognition would be issued a day ahead of a high-level United Nations forum on Palestinian statehood at UN headquarters in New York.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed Portugal will recognize the State of Palestine,” the statement read.
Prime Minister Luis Montenegro, who is reported to have consulted with the president and parliament prior to making the decision, ended nearly 15 years of parliamentary discussion in Portugal about the issue. The Left Bloc party had put forward a bid for recognition in 2011, but had long been hindered by divisions in the EU.
Growing Momentum in the West
Portugal is joining Australia, Canada, France, and the United Kingdom in making such statements of recognition. France, along with Saudi Arabia, is co-hosting Monday’s high-level UN meeting, at which several European microstates like Luxembourg, Malta, and San Marino will also make declarations of recognition.
The move comes as 147 of the 193 members of the UN, about 75 percent, already recognize Palestine, which has been a “non-member observer state” of the UN since 2012.
Last week, Portugal ratified a resolution to allow Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to address the UN General Assembly via video after the US cancelled his visa.
Portugal’s action was condemned by Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said recognition “rewards terror” following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel that left at least 1,200 people dead and 251 hostages.
The United States, Israel’s best friend, quickly followed suit. President Donald Trump, seen along with UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in a state visit to London earlier this week, said he opposed recognition. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also criticized France’s planned recognition as “a reckless decision” and an appeal to “Hamas propaganda.”
Israel’s right-wing Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has already threatened that Israel would legalize new West Bank settlements as revenge against countries that recognize Palestine.
Portugal’s statement of recognition follows days after a UN investigation concluded that Israel’s war in Gaza constitutes genocide. Gaza’s health ministry estimates that at least 65,141 Palestinians are dead and 165,925 injured since Israel started its offensive in October 2023. Thousands are still missing under the rubble.
Israeli soldiers are advancing deeper into Gaza City in a ground offensive that has driven tens of thousands from their homes. The violence began following the Hamas-led attack in southern Israel and has been drawing more and more international condemnation, including calls for sanctions and weapons boycotts against Israel.
Portugal’s Balancing Act
As opposed to Spain, which in May 2024 joined Ireland and Norway in declaring Palestinian statehood, Portugal had previously delayed, upholding the need for an EU common line. Less than a dozen EU states, mostly from Eastern Europe but also Cyprus and Sweden, now recognize Palestine.
Foreign Affairs Minister Paulo Rangel said earlier this week during a trip to London that Portugal was “seriously contemplating recognition,” a shift from its earlier hesitance.
Formal recognition will now put Portugal firmly in the Western camp joining the majority of the international community to support Palestinian statehood, as global leaders convene at the UN General Assembly.
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