Portugal joins UK, Canada, and Australia in recognizing Palestinian state

The move comes on the eve of a UNGA summit next week that is expected to be dominated by Middle East issues

Portuguese Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel announced Sunday evening that his country has decided to officially recognize the State of Palestine, joining a growing list of countries that have done so.

Portugal is the fourth country to confirm its recognition of Palestine today, after Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom.

“We have no hesitation regarding the idea that we want to have peaceful, fruitful relations with both states and that, evidently, we wish that Israel can understand our position,” Rangel said during a press-conference on Sunday.

He added that the move was not intended to be “against Israel,” but “in favor of peace and in favor of the Palestinian people's right to self-determination.”

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The Palestinian Foreign Ministry has already praised Portugal for the decision, calling it a “courageous step consistent with international law and United Nations resolutions, and one that bolsters ongoing efforts to achieve peace and advance the two-state solution.”

More than 140 world leaders are preparing to attend the annual United Nations General Assembly summit in New York next week, which is expected to be dominated by the Israel-Palestine issue. Sponsored by France and Saudi Arabia, it will attempt to revive the long-stalled two-state solution: one Israeli, one Palestinian, coexisting within secure and recognized borders.

Earlier this month, the General Assembly overwhelmingly supported a resolution calling for a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine. In opposing the measure, Washington and West Jerusalem were only joined by eight other countries, including the remote Pacific island nations of Palau, Tonga, Micronesia and Nauru.