Uruguay announced that it recognized an independent Palestinian state, thus joining a list of other South American states which have done the same in the last few months, the country's Foreign Minister Luis Almagro said.

The Tuesday announcement of the Uruguayan Foreign Ministry did not, however, directly say whether the country recognized Palestinian borders predating the war from 1967, when Israel captured the West Bank and Gaza Strip, world agencies reported.

Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay recognized the pre-1967 borders, while Chile and Peru recognized the state, but did not specify borders. Uruguayan ministry pointed out that the decision to recognise the Palestinian state shows the country’s firm commitment to the peace process in the Middle East.

We have a longing shared by most of the international community that the Palestinian and Israeli people can coexist in peace in the near future, the ministry’s statement said.

Palestinian authorities are hoping that other countries will also support their claim for an independent state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Izrael intends to keep large blocks of Jewish settlements it built in the West Bank on the basis of every peace agreement with Palestina. It also disputes Palestinian aspirations toward eastern Jerusalem.

The US said that the recognition of Palestinian state by Latin American countries was premature, and Israel assessed that it represents harmful interference of parties that were never part of the Middle East peace process.

Amidst a recent stall in the peace process, Palestinian officials intensified their efforts to obtain new recognition of their state, and they hope to bring their independence claim before the Security Council.