"European recognition of the State of Palestine is a very important step, especially in terms of putting pressure on [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu to thwart his plans to evict Palestinians from their land, particularly from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and to resettle them to Sinai, Jordan or other countries," Kilani said.
The spokesman added that declarations of recognition should be followed up by "consistent practical steps." Otherwise, he said, the push for Palestinian statehood would "remain only on a moral level."
The United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and Portugal formally recognized the Palestinian state on Sunday. French President Emmanuel Macron said that his country would follow suit at a summit on UN General Assembly sidelines on September 22.