Portugal joins Palestinian state supporters

Portugal on Sunday declared its support for the State of Palestine, officially joining the endorsement by the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, France, and other countries.

Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel announced the decision while speaking to reporters at the office of Portugal’s permanent mission to the United Nations in New York.

The recognition of a Palestinian nation “is the realisation of a fundamental, constant, and fundamental line of Portuguese foreign policy,” the official noted.

“Portugal advocates the two-state solution as the only path to a just and lasting peace,” Rangel said. “A ceasefire is urgent.”

He decried “the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza,” as well as the starvation, destruction, and the “expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank.”

Portugal’s backing for a State of Palestine aligns with the New York Declaration of July 2025, which was endorsed this month by the United Nations General Assembly.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Sunday announced the support of the UK, Canada, and Australia for a two-state solution “to revive the hope of peace.”

In a video message posted on X, the British leader recalled that the UK recognised the State of Israel more than 75 years ago as a homeland for the Jewish people.

“Today we join over 150 countries who recognise a Palestinian state,” Starmer said. “A pledge to the Palestinian and Israeli people that there can be a better future.”

In his reaction, Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter denounced the endorsement, suggesting that Starmer was scared of Britain’s takeover by Islamists.

“The only thing Starmer is trying to avoid is an Islamist takeover of Britain,” the envoy wrote on X. “He has rewarded the new Nazis and will get only shame.”

Portugal joins Palestinian state supporters