In September, Portugal plans to formally acknowledge the statehood of Palestine.
In a significant move, Portugal's Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, announced on Thursday that Portugal will recognize the state of Palestine in September. This decision follows similar announcements made by Canada, France, the UK, and other nations.
On Wednesday, 16 countries, including France, Canada, and Australia, issued a joint appeal urging an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and calling for international recognition of the State of Palestine. The joint appeal was endorsed by Andorra, Canada, Australia, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Slovenia, and Spain. The statement was published by the French Foreign Ministry.
The deteriorating situation in Gaza and the resulting famine have led to the death of over 100 people, including children. Multiple countries, including Portugal, are considering or moving toward recognizing Palestine as a state in September, primarily due to the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza and heightened concerns about the ongoing conflict, especially fears of Israeli annexation of Palestinian territories.
Portugal’s government has stated that the decision is a response to "extremely worrying developments" in the conflict, referencing both the humanitarian crisis characterized by starvation and malnutrition in Gaza as well as repeated Israeli threats of annexation. The Portuguese Prime Minister emphasized consultations within the government, parliament, and the president before formally recognizing Palestine during the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York this September.
This trend is part of a broader international diplomatic shift, with countries such as France, the United Kingdom, Canada, Malta, Ireland, Norway, and Spain also expressing intention or having already recognized Palestine recently, often conditioned on political or humanitarian factors. These moves come amid growing global criticism of Israel's military actions in Gaza and an increased push to revive momentum toward a two-state solution.
Portugal and aligned states cite several conditions for recognition, including assurances from the Palestinian Authority regarding governance and peace commitments, diplomatic progress including normalization efforts between Israel and Arab states, a vision of a demilitarised Palestinian state with international security guarantees, condemnation of Hamas terrorism and calls for its disarmament, and humanitarian concerns and the unresolved hostage situation in Gaza.
The Portuguese President and government underscore that these decisions are carefully considered and consultative, reflecting alignment with European and international partners. Israel has strongly opposed such recognitions, accusing recognizing states of rewarding terrorism and complicating hostage negotiations. Nonetheless, this diplomatic momentum reflects rising global urgency to address the conflict’s consequences and seek renewed frameworks for peace.
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[1] French Foreign Ministry Statement: https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/actualites/communiques-de-presse/2025/05/26/appel-conjoint-pour-un-cessez-le-feu-immédiat-dans-la-bande-de-gaza-et-reconnaissance-internationale-de-l-etat-de-palestine [2] Portuguese Government Statement: https://www.portugal.gov.pt/noticias/portugal-reconhecer-o-estado-de-palestina-em-setembro [3] Israel's Response: https://www.israelhayom.com/2025/05/27/israel-slams-portugal-s-decision-to-recognize-palestine-as-a-state/ [4] Conditions for Recognition: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/05/portugal-israel-palestine-statehood-conditions-250522231957933.html [5] Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza: https://www.unrwa.org/newsroom/press-releases/unrwa-reports-over-100-deaths-gaza-strip-resulting-famine-and-malnutrition
- The decision by Portugal to recognize Palestine as a state in September aligns with similar announcements made by numerous nations, such as Canada, France, the UK, and others, who also emphasized political and humanitarian concerns due to the deteriorating situation in Gaza.
- In addition to Portugal, countries like France, the United Kingdom, Canada, Malta, Ireland, Norway, and Spain have expressed their intention to recognize Palestine recently, often based on political or humanitarian factors.
- The Portuguese government's decision to recognize Palestine is predicated on various conditions, including assurances from the Palestinian Authority regarding governance and peace commitments, diplomatic progress, a vision of a demilitarized Palestinian state with international security guarantees, condemnation of Hamas terrorism and calls for its disarmament, and humanitarian concerns and the unresolved hostage situation in Gaza.
- Israel strongly opposes such recognitions, accusing the recognizing states of rewarding terrorism and complicating hostage negotiations, as per an Israel Hayom article.
