Prime Minister Robert Abela declared on Tuesday evening that Malta would recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September.
The announcement came shortly after similar statements by the British and French governments.
"Our position reflects our commitment to efforts for a lasting peace in the Middle East," Abela wrote in a Facebook post.
Malta, a Mediterranean country in the European Union, has long expressed support for the Palestinian cause and a two-state solution.
Internal pressure had mounted on Abela’s administration, with even the center-right opposition urging immediate recognition earlier in July.
Abela initially planned to declare recognition during a UN conference in June, but the event was postponed.
Ireland, Norway, and Spain recognized the State of Palestine in May.
The momentum for recognition comes amid heightened global condemnation of the Israeli regime’s crimes in Gaza and the occupied territories.