VALLETTA, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Malta will officially recognize Palestine as a state, Prime Minister Robert Abela announced on Sunday.
His statement ends more than four decades of deliberation on the issue.
Although Malta hosts a Palestinian ambassador and has long offered implicit recognition, recognizing Palestine as a state will mark the Malta's first formal diplomatic recognition of Palestine.
Addressing Labour Party supporters in Mosta, Abela linked the recognition with the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, strongly condemning Israeli military actions that caused massive civilian casualties. ■
