LISBON (Reuters) – Portugal will formally recognize a Palestinian state on Sunday, the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Friday.
The Official Declaration of Recognition will take place ahead of next week’s High-Level Conference, the statement said.
Earlier this week, Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel confirmed during a visit to the UK that Portugal was considering recognition of Palestinian statehood.
Unlike Spain, which officially recognized Palestine in May 2024 alongside Ireland and Norway, Portugal had taken a more cautious approach, preferring to align its stance with other European Union (EU) members.
So far, only a handful of EU countries — mainly former Communist states, as well as Sweden and Cyprus — have formally recognized Palestine.
The United Nations General Assembly granted Palestine non-member observer state status in 2012, a move widely seen as de facto recognition.
The announcement comes as Israel faces mounting global criticism over its war against Hamas in Gaza, which has resulted in thousands of deaths, famine conditions, and widespread devastation.
