Luxembourg to Recognize State of Palestine

Luxembourg has announced its intention to formally recognize the State of Palestine, a move expected to be finalized later this month during the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Prime Minister Luc Frieden and Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel confirmed before a parliamentary committee on Monday that the government is preparing to extend recognition to Palestine. Local media reported that the decision is being coordinated with several European partners, including France and Belgium.

The recognition effort comes as part of a broader European debate on advancing the two-state solution. Last month, during the Franco-Saudi conference in New York, several countries expressed readiness to recognize Palestine at the upcoming UN General Assembly session.

In Israel, the announcement sparked a wave of domestic criticism. A foreign policy forum of 18 former Israeli ambassadors issued a statement warning of an "unprecedented political collapse" linked to the ongoing war and Israel’s increasing international isolation.

The former diplomats urged an end to the war, the release of all hostages, and the start of a political process to remove Hamas from power in Gaza. They further cautioned that continued annexation measures would only deepen Israel’s global isolation.

The move by Luxembourg follows a symbolic vote at the UN General Assembly last Friday, where a large majority backed a resolution calling for "concrete, time-bound and irreversible steps" toward achieving a two-state solution. The resolution came just days ahead of the annual world leaders’ summit in New York.