MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russia still believes that a two-state solution is the only way to settle the conflict in the Middle East, the Kremlin said on Monday, after it was asked about a decision by some Western countries to recognise a Palestinian state.

Britain, Canada, Australia and Portugal all recognised a Palestinian state on Sunday in a move borne out of frustration over the Gaza war and intended to promote a two-state solution, prompting a furious response from Israel.

ROME (Reuters) -Striking dockworkers blocked access roads to the port of Genoa in northern Italy on Monday, as part of protests against Israel's offensive in Gaza.

Transport services also faced disruption and a number of schools across Italy were closed following strikes called by a group of unions in solidarity with the Palestinian people.

In Genoa, in northwest Italy, some protesters waved the Palestinian flag during early morning gatherings around the port. Further down the coast in the Tuscan city of Livorno, an entrance to the port was blocked by protesting workers.

VALLETTA (Reuters) -Malta will announce its formal recognition of a Palestinian state at the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Monday, the Prime Minister's Office said, joining a group of countries in making the move.

Britain, Canada, Australia and Portugal all recognised a Palestinian state on Sunday, a move intended to promote a two-state solution to end the war in Gaza. France and several other states are expected to make the same decision on Monday.

Almost two dozen town halls in France were on Monday flying the Palestinian flag from their entrances in defiance of an interior ministry warning not to do so ahead of the recognition of a Palestinian state by President Emmanuel Macron.

The president is due to recognise a Palestinian state in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, following up on a pledge he made in the summer that angered Israel.

(Reuters) -The Israeli military said on Monday it had reinforced all combat fronts with air, land and naval forces across the country during the Jewish New Year holiday.

Earlier this year, Israeli media reported that the military had ended its long-standing practice of granting unit-wide leave during holidays.

The decision followed a military investigation that found Hamas took advantage of the reduced troop presence along the Gaza border on October 7, 2023, during a Jewish holiday, to launch its attack, according to media reports.

MOSCOW (Reuters) -The head of Iran's atomic energy organisation, Mohammad Eslami, has arrived in Moscow for talks, Russia's state-run RIA news agency quoted the Iranian embassy as saying on Monday.

The 15-member U.N. Security Council earlier opted not to permanently lift sanctions on Tehran, after three European countries launched a 30-day process last month to reimpose them, accusing Tehran of failing to abide by a 2015 deal with world powers aimed at preventing it from developing a nuclear weapon.

French President Emmanuel Macron officially recognized a Palestinian state at the United Nations on Monday, spurring a wave of Western moves to defy Israel in making the landmark -- if symbolic -- move.

Macron, speaking at a summit that Israel and its chief backer the United States did not attend, called for an end to the war in Gaza.

"The time for peace has come, as we are just moments away from no longer being able to seize it," Macron said in an address in the General Assembly.

By John Irish and Michelle Nichols

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -France and Saudi Arabia will convene dozens of world leaders on Monday to rally support for a two-state solution, with several of them expected to formally recognise a Palestinian state - a move that could draw harsh Israeli and U.S. responses.

Israel and the United States will boycott the summit, said Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon, describing the event as a “circus.” “We don't think it's helpful. We think it's actually rewarding terrorism,” he told reporters on Thursday.

(Reuters) -Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa arrived in New York to attend meetings of the UN General Assembly, the first participation of a Syrian president since 1967, the state news agency reported early on Monday.

Sharaa – a former al Qaeda leader who once had a $10 million bounty on his head – scored a major diplomatic victory in May when he won recognition from U.S. President Donald Trump at a meeting in Riyadh.

NEW YORK (Reuters) -Portugal's Foreign Affairs Minister Paulo Rangel announced on Sunday that the country has now recognised the state of Palestine.

"The recognition of the state of Palestine is the realization of a fundamental, constant, and fundamental line of Portuguese foreign policy," Rangel told reporters at the headquarters of Portugal's permanent mission to the United Nations in New York.