Several European member states are expected to recognize Palestinian statehood by the end of May, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Monday at the sidelines of a World Economic Forum special meeting in Riyadh.

Ireland and Spain earlier this month reiterated their intention to forge an alliance of countries that will soon recognize Palestine as a nation state.

Some 140 of the 193 UN member states have recognized the State of Palestine. On 18 April, the US vetoed a draft Security Council resolution that would have recognized Palestine as a full member of the UN.

Palestinian UN Ambassador Riyad Mansour told the council after the vote: “The fact that this resolution did not pass will not break our will and it will not defeat our determination.”