Some 160 states have signed up to recognize a Palestinian state. In the last week, the United Kingdom, France, Canada and Australia have done so, but the prospect of it becoming a reality amid US opposition and Israeli resistance is at best a distant one.

In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Western countries they were giving Hamas a "reward" for recognizing a Palestinian state.

ROME, Italy — Italy could recognize a Palestinian state only on condition that all Israeli hostages are released and Hamas is excluded from any government role, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni says.

France and several other Western nations formally declared their recognition of a Palestinian state at the United Nations on Monday in a move that deepens Israel’s international isolation as it pursues its maximalist war aims in Gaza and expands settlements in the occupied West Bank.

As more countries moved to formally recognize a Palestinian state, a far-right member of Israel’s government called for “countermeasures” including the annexation of the West Bank.

He said an overwhelming number support a two-state solution to the nearly 80-year Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

A host of countries, including France and Canada, are expected to do the same when world leaders gather at the UN General Assembly next week.

DescriptionThe quest for Palestinian independence is set to get a major boost as several diplomatic heavyweights are expected to recognize a State of Palestine.