Portuguese Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel officialized Portugal's recognition of the Palestinian State in New York on September 21st, 2025, following similar recognitions by the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. This announcement occurred amidst heightened tensions, as seven Palestinians, including four children, were killed by Israeli warplanes striking near an UNRWA clinic in the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza. The strikes in Gaza were reported by AJEnglish, detailing civilian casualties following the airstrikes. The timing of Portugal's recognition, on the eve of a peace conference scheduled for Monday in New York, adds to the complex geopolitical landscape. Previous reports indicated that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated Israel's response to these recognitions would be announced after his return from the United States, having previously called such recognitions an "award to terrorism." French President Emmanuel Macron had previously linked the release of hostages in Gaza to the opening of a French embassy in Palestine and is scheduled to co-chair the peace conference in New York with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. Sources within the Palestinian Authority described recent recognitions as largely moral and symbolic, with no immediate impact on state establishment. In a separate development, an opinion piece in Haaretz discussed an Israeli judge freeing a settler who had killed a Palestinian, highlighting a perceived common practice.
