Lisbon – August 1, 2025
Portugal is preparing to formally recognize a Palestinian state as early as September, according to Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel, who spoke to the Portuguese media outlet SIC on Thursday.
Rangel emphasized that the recognition would be extended to the Palestinian Authority (PA), which Lisbon regards as the legitimate governing body of a future Palestinian state. “This is not a spontaneous gesture,” Rangel noted. “It’s the result of long-standing, coordinated discussions with several countries.”
The foreign minister revealed that Portugal has been in quiet talks with other nations for months all working toward what he described as a “collective and strategic moment” for recognition. On Tuesday, 14 other countries reportedly reached the same decision, though the timeline and specific conditions for recognition may vary among them.
“This wasn’t decided in isolation,” Rangel said, pushing back against claims that France or any single country was leading the charge. “President Macron didn’t act alone. We’ve been coordinating this together for a while now.”
The announcement comes at a politically delicate moment. Both Israel and the United States boycotted a recent United Nations meeting aimed at discussing a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Critics, especially within the Israeli government, argue that granting recognition to Palestine at this juncture would embolden Hamas and undermine ongoing negotiations to free the remaining hostages still held in Gaza.
During a high-profile address at the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) World Conference of Speakers of Parliament in Geneva on Wednesday, Israeli Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana sharply criticized the growing international momentum for Palestinian statehood. “If you want a Palestinian state, go build it in London or Paris,” Ohana said, reflecting deep frustration within the Israeli leadership.
Portugal, meanwhile, appears undeterred. Rangel pointed out that the current government has already taken concrete steps in support of the Palestinian cause — including halting arms exports to Israel and voting in favor of allowing a Palestinian representative at the United Nations.
“We’ve always said we’d move forward with recognition when it could make a real difference,” he said. “That moment is now.”
One of the most contentious questions surrounding Palestinian statehood is who would govern Gaza. The Palestinian Authority was ousted from the territory nearly two decades ago after a short-lived power-sharing arrangement collapsed, leading to Hamas’s full control of the coastal enclave.
While Rangel expressed optimism that the PA is now prepared to reclaim administrative authority in Gaza, skepticism remains high both internationally and within Israel. Critics point to the PA’s internal corruption, its controversial policy of paying stipends to convicted militants, and President Mahmoud Abbas’s long-standing rhetoric against Israel as reasons to question its suitability.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, for one, has made it clear that the PA has no future role in governing Gaza, doubling down on that position again just last month.
As Portugal prepares to join the growing list of countries moving toward Palestinian recognition, the broader geopolitical implications — from EU unity to Middle Eastern stability — remain uncertain. But if Lisbon follows through in September, it will mark a significant moment in the long and complicated path toward a two-state solution.
