Portuguese MPs urge Palestine recognition

The Portuguese parliament adopted Friday a recommendation calling on the government to recognize the Palestinian state, drawing votes from the majority and opposition.

The motion, filed jointly by the ruling center-right majority and the opposition Socialist party, proposes "recognizing, in coordination with the European Union, the state of Palestine as independent and sovereign".

The collapse of the latest U.S.-sponsored talks in April, along with Israel pressing on with building settlements in territory the Palestinians want for their state, triggered several European countries to review their position towards supporting an independent Palestinian state.

While most developing countries recognize Palestine as a state, most Western European countries do not, supporting the Israeli and U.S. position that an independent Palestinian state should emerge from negotiations with Israel.

The Portuguese parliament’s move comes three days after the Irish government said it will accept a motion calling for recognizing Palestine as a state. The bill is said to be proposed next week by the opposition.

The latest steps follow that of Sweden, which became the biggest Western European country to recognize Palestine, and parliaments in Spain, Britain and France held votes in which they backed non-binding resolutions in favor of recognition.