London: The UK, Canada and Portugal are expected to recognise a Palestinian state despite opposition from the US, after judging that Israel has not met conditions it set over the war in Gaza.
UK Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy, who was foreign secretary until earlier this month, said an announcement on the recognition of a Palestinian state will come later Sunday from Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
“Any decision to recognise a Palestinian state, if that were to take place later on today, does not make a Palestinian state happen overnight,” he told Sky News.
He suggested that recognition would help keep the prospect of a two-state solution alive, and stressed that identifying the Palestinian people with Hamas was mistaken.
“Official Declaration of Recognition will take place on Sunday, September 21st, before next week’s High-Level Conference,” read a statement from the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Portugal joins France, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom who are expected to make announcements, ahead of the UNGA high-level conference on Palestinian statehood at the United Nations General Assembly. More than 140 countries have already taken the step to recognise a Palestinian state, but the decisions by France and Britain are significant.
(The story has been edited with new information and a new headline)
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