Israeli Foreign Minister Gidon Saar met with UK Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage in New York on September 21st, 2025, to thank them for their statements opposing the recognition of a Palestinian State. The meetings occurred within a 28-minute window ending at 8:36 PM UTC. Saar's engagements followed Portugal's official recognition of the State of Palestine in New York earlier on September 21st, 2025. This recognition by Portugal, announced amidst heightened regional tensions, adds to similar steps previously taken by the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, contributing to a complex geopolitical landscape. The timing of these recognitions is significant as they precede a scheduled peace conference in New York. Reports from earlier in the day indicated that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had stated Israel's response to these recognitions would be announced after his return from the United States, having previously characterized such moves as an "award to terrorism." Sources within the Palestinian Authority described the recent recognitions as primarily moral and symbolic, with no immediate impact on state establishment. In parallel developments, Hamas publicly executed three Palestinians in Gaza City on September 21st, 2025, accusing them of cooperation with Israel. Earlier in the day, seven Palestinians, including four children, were reported killed by Israeli warplanes striking near an UNRWA clinic in the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, according to AJEnglish. French President Emmanuel Macron previously linked the release of hostages in Gaza to the opening of a French embassy in Palestine and is scheduled to co-chair a peace conference in New York with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. The Allenby Bridge crossing to Jordan remained closed for passenger traffic following a deadly attack, and Egypt announced border security measures in the Sinai Peninsula.
