According to Stubb, it is the government's task to decide whether to submit such a proposal to the president.
Stubb says that he hopes Finland will recognize Palestine, but that the coming weeks will certainly show whether the government can submit such a proposal to the president.
We have been discussing this difficult issue since the beginning of October 2023. Now, I think the situation has reached a point where Finland must make its choice, says Stubb.
Among the government parties, the Christian Democrats and the Finns Party have opposed recognition of Palestine.
Stubb motivates his stance, among other things, by the fact that a growing number of comparable countries - most recently France, Canada, and the United Kingdom under certain conditions - have announced that they will recognize the state of Palestine at the UN General Assembly in September.
Supports Israel's security
The state of Palestine has been recognized by almost 150 of the UN's 193 member states. Finland and Denmark are the only Nordic countries that have not recognized Palestine.
Stubb emphasizes that Finland always supports Israel's security and that Israel has the right to defend itself.
But he does not think that Israel's response in Gaza is reasonable. Collective punishment and killing or starving civilians are not acceptable measures, according to Stubb.
Portugal to discuss
Portugal's government will discuss with the president and parliament the recognition of Palestine as a state in September, in connection with the UN General Assembly, announces Prime Minister Luis Montenegro's office.
Portugal was one of the 15 countries that on Wednesday jointly urged more governments to consider recognizing a Palestinian state as a step towards a two-state solution. Canada, France, Finland, and Norway were also among the signatories.
Germany's Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, who was not among the signatories, says on Thursday that the process towards recognizing a Palestinian state "must begin now". But he adds that "for Germany, recognizing a Palestinian state is likely the end of the process", reports BBC.
