Portugal to recognise Palestinian state ahead of EU summit

Portugal will formally recognise a Palestinian state on Sunday, as announced by its Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The declaration comes ahead of a high-level European Union conference. Unlike Spain, Ireland, and Norway, which recognized Palestine earlier, Portugal sought to coordinate a common position with its European partners first. Only a few of the EU's 27 members formally recognise Palestine, which was granted "non-member state" status by the UN General Assembly in 2012.