Irish Foreign Minister Michael Martin announced that his country intends to move to recognize a Palestinian state in the coming weeks.

Martin said he would submit a formal proposal to the government on recognition of a Palestinian state at the conclusion of "broader international discussions."

He added in a speech before the Irish Parliament in the capital, Dublin, "None of you has any doubt that recognition of a Palestinian state will happen."

He pointed out that postponing recognition "is no longer convincing or defensible anymore."

Martin later told local news site The Journal that a formal proposal would be submitted "in the next couple of weeks."

He said that during the past six months he had held discussions on the matter with other countries participating in peace initiatives.

Last month, the leaders of Spain, Ireland, Slovakia and Malta expressed in a joint statement their willingness to recognize a Palestinian state.

Ireland has long said it has no objection in principle to formally recognizing a Palestinian state if this could help the Middle East peace process. But the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip gave this issue new impetus.

"I have no doubt that war crimes have been committed, and I strongly condemn the ongoing bombing of Palestinian citizens of Gaza," Martin said.

He added that recognizing a state for the Palestinians "could be an incentive to help the residents of Gaza and the West Bank and strengthen the Arab Peace Initiative."