In an interview on Friday, foreign minister Xavier Bettel said the Grand Duchy was leaning towards recognising the State of Palestine at a summit in New York this September.

On Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron signalled France's intention to recognise Palestine at the UN summit in New York. Bettel said that Luxembourg was not necessarily following in France's footsteps, but referred to his previous comments on the matter, in which he said the Grand Duchy would be prepared to recognise Palestine provided certain commitments were met.

As already stated in the Chamber of Deputies, Bettel said he felt that progress had been made from the Palestinian side, resulting in a positive view:

"I can announce to you that at the moment, based on the commitments made by the Palestinians, we are leaning towards recognition. I hope September will provide the opportunity to make this recognition official. But as foreign minister, my personal opinion, which I shared with my colleagues yesterday - following contact with the French minister, who informed me of the French president's intentions - I told my colleagues that I recommend we go ahead with recognition in September."

Earlier this year, Bettel signalled that Luxembourg could recognise the State of Palestine provided certain conditions were met.

"Firstly we wanted to see change in Palestine, meaning elections should be held, there should be a de-militarisation of Hamas, and de-radicalisation in schools. These are important conditions, as peace in Palestine means security for Israel. These measures are neither for nor against Israel or Palestine, but they are for peace."

Bettel said they had seen a demonstration of commitment on these measures from the Palestinian side. Next week the foreign minister will fly to New York to participate in a United Nations conference discussing the potential for a two-state solution. In September, he will be accompanied by Prime Minister Luc Frieden to the UN General Assembly, where, if the time is right, Luxembourg will officially recognise Palestine.

The French President's announcement on Thursday sparked reactions among Luxembourg's political parties. The Greens' Sam Tanson has submitted an urgent question to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, asking whether Luxembourg is currently in talks with other countries to jointly recognise the State of Palestine, and what diplomatic, legal and political criteria are required for official recognition.