Britain, Australia, and Canada formally recognized the State of Palestine on Sunday , and Portugal will follow suit later today, the Foreign Ministry announced earlier on Monday.
Commenting on the resolutions and calls to recognize a Palestinian state, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu , who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes in the Gaza Strip , asserted that these calls “threaten Israel’s existence,” calling for a confrontation with the United Nations and all other fronts to refute what he described as “false propaganda” against Israel.
Netanyahu said, “Calls for a Palestinian state threaten our existence and constitute an illogical reward for terrorism.”
He stressed that Israel is continuing its vigorous campaign to achieve a final settlement, eliminate Hamas, and return all prisoners held in Gaza.
He also said he would present at the United Nations the truth about “Israel’s just struggle against the forces of evil and its vision of true peace born of strength.”
Netanyahu also called for confronting the United Nations and all other fronts and taking action on the “false propaganda” against Israel
Britain recognizes
In a speech on the X platform, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said , “Today we recognized the State of Palestine to revive the hope of peace between Palestinians and Israelis. Today we join more than 150 countries that have recognized the State of Palestine.”
He added, “We are working to keep the possibility of peace and the two-state solution alive,” stressing that he had directed sanctions to be imposed on additional Hamas figures in the coming weeks.
The British Prime Minister stressed that Hamas should have no role in the future, whether in administration or security.
It’s worth noting that nine countries have officially confirmed their recognition of a Palestinian state ahead of the UN General Assembly meetings : France, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta, Andorra, and San Marino. Portugal, meanwhile, has decided to postpone its recognition, announcing its decision later today
By the end of the General Assembly session, the State of Palestine will be recognized by 147 countries, out of 193 member states of the United Nations.
With the recognition of Britain and France, Palestine will soon gain the support of four of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council , as China and Russia have recognized the State of Palestine since 1988
