São Bento Palace, Lisbon, Portugal. Photo: Wikipedia.

JNS.org – Portugal’s parliament on Friday became the latest European legislature to support the recognition of a Palestinian state.

The Portuguese motion proposed to “recognize, in coordination with the European Union, the State of Palestine as an independent and sovereign state,” adding that “only [Israeli-Palestinian] negotiations can ensure security and peace in this region,” AFP reported.

The move comes a day after the French Senate and Irish Parliament each passed non-binding measures advocating the recognition of Palestinian statehood. Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon said the Irish Parliament was giving a voice to “statements of hatred and anti-Semitism directed at Israel in a way which we have not heard before,” theAssociated Press reported.

The Swedish government officially recognized “Palestine” at the end of October. Danish lawmakers will vote on the Palestinian statehood issue in early January, while symbolic votes on the issue recently took place in the parliaments of Britain and Spain.