The announcement came soon after the U.S. cut short Gaza ceasefire talks in Qatar, saying Hamas wasn't showing good faith.

If France and the UK do formally recognise Palestinian statehood, the US - a strong ally of Israel - will be the only permanent member of the UN Security Council not to do so.

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.