Portugal to Officially Recognize Palestine as a State
The Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Friday evening that Portugal will officially recognize the State of Palestine this Sunday. This announcement comes on the eve of a United Nations General Assembly meeting, where around a dozen other countries are expected to follow suit.
In a statement published on its website, the ministry confirmed that "Portugal will recognize the State of Palestine (...) The official recognition will be announced this Sunday, September 21." Lisbon had already indicated in July that it intended to take this step due to the "very worrying evolution of the conflict", the humanitarian crisis, and Israel's recurring threats to annex Palestinian territories.
