Headlines
Portugal makes cautious move towards recognising Palestinian state
Published by Global Banking and Finance Review
Posted on July 31, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Global Banking and Finance Review
Company
Published by Global Banking and Finance Review
Posted on July 31, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Portugal considers recognizing Palestine, consulting political parties amid EU discussions. France's decision influences EU stance.
LISBON (Reuters) -Portugal's centre-right government will consult the main political parties and conservative President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa about the potential recognition of a Palestinian state, Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said on Thursday.
Unlike neighbouring Spain, whose leftist government recognised Palestinian statehood in May 2024 alongside Ireland and Norway and called on other EU countries to do the same, Portugal has taken a more cautious approach, saying it wanted to work out a common position with other EU countries first.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced last week his country, a heavyweight in the EU, plans to recognise a Palestinian state, becoming the first major Western state to do so.
His move came amid a rising global outcry over starvation and devastation in Gaza as Israel wages war against Hamas militants there. Britain and Canada have since said they could also recognise a Palestinian state.
"The government decided to promote consultations with the president and the political parties represented in parliament with a view to consider the recognition of the Palestinian state in a process that could be concluded ... at the U.N. General Assembly in September," Montenegro said in a statement.
About 144 of the 193 member states of the United Nations recognise Palestine as a state, including most of the global south as well as Russia, China and India.
But only a handful of the 27 European Union members do so, mostly former Communist countries as well as Sweden and Cyprus.
The U.N. General Assembly approved the de facto recognition of the sovereign state of Palestine in November 2012 by upgrading its observer status at the world body to "non-member state" from "entity".
(Reporting by Andrei KhalipEditing by Frances Kerry)
Portugal's government is consulting with political parties and the president about the potential recognition of a Palestinian state.
Unlike Spain, which recognized Palestinian statehood in May 2024, Portugal has taken a more cautious approach.
Countries like Ireland, Norway, and Spain have recognized Palestinian statehood, with France also planning to do so.
The U.N. General Assembly upgraded Palestine's status to 'non-member state' in November 2012, with about 144 of the 193 member states recognizing it.
The discussions are taking place amid a global outcry over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza as Israel continues its military actions against Hamas.
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