The French president had recently expressed increasing frustration with the Israeli war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Now he has announced his intention to recognize a Palestinian state. Both Israel and the United States condemn the decision.
France will recognize Palestine as a state, according to President Emmanuel Macron."I will solemnly announce this before the United Nations General Assembly in September of this year," Macron said on Platform X.
"There is no alternative," he continued."A ceasefire must be concluded immediately, all hostages released, and massive humanitarian assistance provided to the people of Gaza." Ultimately, the State of Palestine must be established and its viability secured, he continued.
In his post, the French president shared a letter to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. In light of the commitments Abbas had made to him, Macron wrote, he had communicated his determination to proceed in writing.
In an initial reaction, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned Macron's plan. Netanyahu said such a move rewards terrorism. It also carries the risk of creating another Iranian proxy. Defense Minister Israel Katz described France's planned recognition as a disgrace and a capitulation to terrorism. Israel will not tolerate the establishment of a Palestinian state that"violates our security and endangers our existence," Katz said.
The United States also condemned Emmanuel Macron's announcement."This reckless decision only serves Hamas propaganda and sets back peace," US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X. It was a slap in the face to the victims of the massacre carried out by the Islamist Hamas and other terrorist groups in Israel on October 7, 2023. The United States is Israel's closest ally.
The Palestinians, however, welcomed the French president's announcement. The move"reflects France's commitment to international law and its support for the Palestinian people's right to self-determination and the establishment of our independent state," said Hussein al-Sheikh, deputy and presumptive successor to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, on Thursday.
A summit of heads of state and government is planned for September to advance a two-state solution—the peaceful coexistence of a Palestinian state alongside Israel. The UN conference, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, was postponed at short notice in June due to the war between Israel and Iran.
France would be the first major Western state to recognize Palestine. Macron has repeatedly promised the imminent recognition of a Palestinian state in recent months. At the end of May, he said, among other things, that the"creation of a Palestinian state" under certain conditions was "not only a moral duty, but a political necessity."
Most recently, Norway and the two EU countries Ireland and Spain announced they would recognize Palestine as an independent state. Nearly 150 UN member states have already done so. However, important Western countries, including the UN veto powers, the United States and Great Britain, are not among them. Germany also does not recognize Palestine as a state. Israel is not recognized by Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Syria, for example.
US breaks off Gaza negotiations
Meanwhile, international pressure on Israel is growing. Great Britain, France, and more than 20 other states called for an immediate end to the war on Monday and sharply criticized the Israeli government's handling of aid deliveries. They called it"dangerous, fuels instability, and deprives the people of the Gaza Strip of their human dignity," the joint statement said.
The United States announced today that it would withdraw its delegation from the ceasefire talks in Doha, Qatar."We have decided to bring our team home from Doha for consultations following Hamas's recent response, which clearly demonstrates a lack of will to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza," US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said on X.
Alternatives for bringing the Israeli hostages home are now being considered. The United States remains firmly committed to ending this conflict and achieving lasting peace in the Gaza Strip.
The Palestinians want their own state in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem. These territories were captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East War. The Israeli government opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state, arguing that recognizing Palestine would be tantamount to rewarding the extremists who carried out a terrorist attack on Israel in October 2023, triggering the Gaza War.
France has the largest Jewish community in Europe and the largest Muslim community in Western Europe.
AFP/RTR/dpa/rct
