Lisbon (Quds News Network)- Portugal's centre-right government will consult the main political parties and President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa about potential recognition of a Palestinian state, Prime Minister Luís Montenegro said on Thursday. Unlike neighbouring Spain, whose leftist government recognised Palestinian statehood in May 2024 alongside Ireland and Norway and called on other EU countries to do the same, Portugal has taken a more cautious approach, saying it wanted to work out a common position with other EU countries first. Recently, the UK, France, and Canada announced they would recognize a Palestinian state in September during the UN general assembly meeting in New York. "The government decided to promote consultations with the president and the political parties represented in parliament with a view to consider the recognition of the Palestinian state in a process that could be concluded ... at the U.N. General Assembly in September," Montenegro said in a statement. France and 14 other countries co-signed a declaration that pointed towards a wave of future recognitions of an independent Palestinian state. The New York Call, published by the French foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, on Wednesday, said signatories “have already recognised, have expressed or express the willingness or the positive consideration of our countries to recognise the State of Palestine”. The signatories include Andorra, Australia, Canada, Finland, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Portugal and San Marino, each of which has not yet recognised an independent Palestinian state. They also include Iceland, Ireland, Malta, Norway, Slovenia and Spain, which have. The statement, which was published before the conclusion of a three-day UN conference set on reviving a two-state solution to the Israeli occupation of Palestine, said the states would “reiterate our unwavering commitment to the vision of the two-state solution.” It stressed the “importance of unifying the Gaza Strip with the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority”. The plans of recognition come amid growing pressure on Israel to end its ongoing genocide in Gaza, which began in October 2023. More than 60,000 people have been killed so far, the majority children and women. Malta also announced it will recognise Palestine as a state during the UN general assembly meeting. Prime Minister Robert Abela said on Tuesday, “Our position reflects our commitment to efforts for a lasting peace in the Middle East.” Last year, amid Israel’s assault on Gaza, nine countries – Armenia, Slovenia, Ireland, Norway, Spain, the Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and Barbados – formally recognised the State of Palestine, reflecting growing international support. About 144 of the 193 member states of the United Nations recognise Palestine as a state, including most of the global south as well as Russia, China and India.