Luxembourg has officially announced its intention to recognize a "State of Palestine," joining a growing chorus of nations taking a hostile stance toward Israel, Politico reports.
The decision was relayed by Prime Minister Luc Frieden and Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel to a parliamentary commission on Monday, the report said.
The move, a culmination of months of government hesitation, is expected to be finalized later this month at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The recognition follows similar moves by a host of other countries, including Britain, France, Canada, Australia, and Belgium.
On Friday, the United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly passed a non-binding resolution outlining "tangible, time-bound and irreversible steps" toward a two-state solution, a plan that would establish a Palestinian state alongside Israel.
The text was adopted by a vote of 142 in favor, 10 against, and 12 abstentions. Israel and the United States were among the ten nations that voted against the measure. The other eight were Argentina, Hungary, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, and Tonga.
This declaration precedes the General Assembly’s September 22 meeting, when France and Saudi Arabia are planning to endorse recognition of a Palestinian state.