Luxembourg’s government said Monday it intends to recognize a Palestinian state, aligning itself with other European nations preparing to make similar declarations later this month at the United Nations General Assembly.
Prime Minister Luc Frieden and Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel told a parliamentary commission that the final decision will be announced in coordination with France, Belgium, and other countries. Local reports said the timing is planned for the UN session in New York, where several European leaders are expected to formalize recognition.
France has already confirmed its intention. “True to its historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, I have decided that France will recognize the State of Palestine,” President Emmanuel Macron said. He added that the announcement will be made at the UN, stressing that “the urgency today is to end the war in Gaza and to provide aid to the civilian population. Peace is possible.”
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Belgium and the United Kingdom have also indicated they will recognize Palestinian statehood by the end of September, moves that have intensified Israel’s diplomatic challenges amid its ongoing war in Gaza.
European Union leaders have taken an increasingly critical line in recent weeks. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a speech to the European Parliament that the bloc would propose sanctions on extremist Israeli ministers and partially suspend the EU’s association agreement with Israel, which governs trade relations. “What is happening in Gaza has shaken the conscience of the world,” she said.
Diplomats told The Jerusalem Post that Israel’s recent decision to approve construction in the contested E1 corridor near Ma’ale Adumim had further damaged hopes for a two-state solution. “At a time when Israel is already unpopular worldwide due to the war in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis, Israel chose to build in a highly contentious area,” one diplomat said. “You’re destroying the vision of a two-state solution — a solution that enjoys broad consensus across Europe.”
The UN General Assembly on Friday endorsed a declaration calling for “tangible, timebound, and irreversible steps” toward a two-state solution ahead of its September 22 session.