Among them France.. 6 new countries officially recognize the State of Palestine

SadaNews - France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, and Andorra have officially recognized the State of Palestine, a day after similar recognition was issued by Britain, Canada, Australia, and Portugal, at a time when leaders and representatives from various countries condemned the genocide being committed by Israel in the Gaza Strip for nearly two years at the "Two-State Solution" conference in New York.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced his country's official recognition of the State of Palestine during his speech at the opening of the high-level international conference aimed at reaching a peaceful settlement of the Palestinian issue and implementing the two-state solution, which took place at the United Nations headquarters in New York on Monday evening.

Macron stated that we can no longer wait to recognize the Palestinian state, adding, "We bear a collective responsibility for our failure until now to build a just peace in the Middle East."

The French president pointed out that the promise to establish an Arab state in Palestine has not yet been fulfilled, and we have a duty to chart a path towards peace in the Middle East and do everything we can to maintain the possibility of achieving a two-state solution.

He mentioned that Israel continues its operations in Gaza with the declared aim of destroying the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), yet the lives of thousands of Gazans continue to be destroyed. He continued, "There is no justification for what is happening in Gaza, and the war must end to save lives."

At the same time, he expressed his sympathy for Israelis and called for the unconditional release of prisoners held by Hamas.

For his part, Luxembourg's Prime Minister Xavier Bettel announced his country's official recognition of the State of Palestine. Bettel stated during the conference, "The two-state solution remains the only way forward on the path to lasting peace."

Malta's Prime Minister Robert Abela also announced his country’s official recognition of the State of Palestine during a speech at the international conference.

Moreover, Prince Albert II of Monaco announced the official recognition of the State of Palestine. He stated in a similar speech, "We would like to recognize the State of Palestine under international law. Peace should not remain a distant dream, and the solution based on two states living side by side will achieve stability in the region."

Belgium also announced its recognition of the State of Palestine, with Prime Minister Bart De Wever saying in his speech, "Israeli settlement, the military operation to completely control the Gaza Strip, and the Israeli government's declaration of no Palestinian state, are all additional reasons for us to declare our recognition of a Palestinian state."

Andorra's Foreign Minister Maria Ubach Ferrer announced from the United Nations the official recognition of her country of the State of Palestine.

With the announcement from the six countries on Monday, the number of states recognizing Palestine rises to more than 150 out of 193 United Nations member states, since the late President Yasser Arafat proclaimed its establishment in Algeria in 1988.