Malta told a high-level U.N. meeting that it will formally recognize the state of Palestine in September, joining France and the United Kingdom in stepping up pressure to end the nearly 80-year Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The actions of Britain and France reflect souring public approval for both Israel's war in Gaza—which attempts to stamp out the terrorist group Hamas, responsible for perpetrating the October 7, 2023, attack that killed 1,200 and took 250 hostage—and Israel's increasingly aggressive actions in the West Bank.