Luís Montenegro. Credit: Alexandros Michailidis, Euro Weekly News
Portugal whitethorn subordinate nan increasing database of Western countries recognising Palestine arsenic a authorities astatine nan United Nations General Assembly successful September 2025, Prime Minister Luís Montenegro announced connected July 31.
Montenegro said successful a connection that nan authorities had decided “to beforehand consultations pinch nan president and nan governmental parties represented successful parliament pinch a position to see nan nickname of nan Palestinian state” arsenic portion of a process that “could beryllium concluded…at nan UN General Assembly successful September” (Cited by Euronews).
The connection puts Portugal person to countries for illustration Spain, Ireland, and Norway, which recognised Palestinian statehood successful 2024.
France, nan UK, Canada, and Malta person each announced plans to recognise Palestine this autumn, though pinch immoderate conditions attached. French President Emmanuel Macron has already stated his volition to backmost nickname astatine nan UN successful September, which would make France nan first awesome Western powerfulness to do so.
Out of nan UN’s 193 personnel states, 144 already recognise Palestine, mostly from nan Global South. Within nan EU, however, only a fistful of mostly Eastern European countries, including Romania and Bulgaria, person followed suit.
This activity of announcements follows wide world disapproval of Israel’s subject run successful Gaza, which began aft Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught connected confederate Israel that killed 1,200 group and resulted successful 251 hostages taken.
Since then, complete 60,000 group successful Gaza person reportedly died aliases gone missing, according to nan Hamas-run wellness ministry. While these figures stay unverified, images of emaciated children and destroyed infrastructure person fuelled nationalist outrage successful Europe and beyond.
Israel has rejected each unilateral recognitions of Palestine, arguing they reward coercion and weaken efforts to free nan remaining hostages still believed to beryllium live successful Gaza. Its subject claims it has killed complete 20,000 Hamas combatants and different 1,600 terrorists wrong Israel during nan October 7 onslaught. It is said to person mislaid 459 soldiers. (As reported by The Times of Israel.)
EU divisions deepen
Portugal’s announcement came arsenic Sweden urged nan EU to frost its waste and acquisition pact pinch Israel, citing “absolutely appalling” humanitarian conditions successful Gaza.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson posted connected X: “The business successful Gaza is perfectly appalling, and Israel is failing to fulfil its astir basal obligations and agreements connected emergency aid.
Sweden truthful demands that nan EU frost nan waste and acquisition conception of nan relation statement arsenic soon arsenic possible.”
The EU-Israel Association Agreement, which frames governmental and waste and acquisition relations, could now beryllium nether pressure, particularly pinch nan Netherlands besides backing suspension of its waste and acquisition conception if Israel continues to break humanitarian obligations.
An EU soul report, presented successful June, reportedly warned that Israel mightiness beryllium falling short of its quality authorities obligations nether nan agreement.
Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said, “A negotiated two-state solution remains nan only way that tin connection group connected some sides a life successful peace, security, and dignity.
For Germany, nan nickname of a Palestinian authorities comes much astatine nan extremity of that process. But specified a process must statesman now.” (Cited by Times of Israel.)
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