France is preparing to recognise a Palestinian state within the next few months, potentially making the formal move during a planned United Nations conference in New York this June focused on resolving the Israel-Palestinian conflict, President Emmanuel Macron has revealed, reports RTE.
“We must move towards recognition, and we will do so in the coming months,” Mr Macron stated in a televised interview on France 5 aired yesterday, reports RTE.
He added that France intends to co-chair the upcoming conference alongside Saudi Arabia: “Our aim is to chair this conference with Saudi Arabia in June, where we could finalise this movement of mutual recognition by several parties.”
Explaining his reasoning, Mr Macron said: “I will do it because I believe that at some point it will be right and because I also want to participate in a collective dynamic, which must also allow all those who defend Palestine to recognise Israel in turn, which many of them do not do,” reports RTE.
Mr Macron added that such a step would help clarify France’s position against those who reject Israel’s right to exist, such as Iran: “France must be clear in our fight against those who deny Israel’s right to exist — which is the case with Iran – and to commit ourselves to collective security in the region.”
France has consistently advocated for a two-state solution to the conflict, continuing this stance even after the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attacks on Israel, reports RTE.
However, official recognition of Palestinian statehood by France would represent a significant shift in its foreign policy.
A Hamas representative welcomed Mr Macron’s comments, calling them “an important step,” reports RTE.
“France, as a country with political weight and a permanent member of the (UN) Security Council, has the ability to influence the course of fair solutions and push towards ending the occupation and achieving the aspirations of the Palestinian people,” Mahmud Mardawi told AFP.
On the other hand, Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar strongly criticised the move, describing it as a reward for terrorism, reports RTE.
“A unilateral recognition of a fictional Palestinian state, by any country, in the reality that we all know, will be a prize for terror and a boost for Hamas,” Mr Saar wrote on X.
“These kind of actions will not bring peace, security and stability in our region closer — but the opposite: they only push them further away,” reports RTE.
In contrast, Palestinian minister of state for foreign affairs Varsen Aghabekian Shahin said that the move would support Palestinian rights and the two-state solution.
France would join nearly 150 other countries that already recognise a Palestinian state, reports RTE.
Ireland, Norway, and Spain made similar announcements in May 2024, followed by Slovenia in June, amid growing international criticism of Israel’s military operations in Gaza after the October 7 attacks.
Recognition by France would mark a significant moment, as it would be the most influential EU member state to take this step—something the United States has consistently resisted, reports RTE.
Earlier this week in Egypt, Mr Macron met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Jordan’s King Abdullah II, reiterating his opposition to forced displacement or annexation in Gaza and the West Bank.
In response to US President Donald Trump’s suggestion of turning Gaza into the “Riviera of the Middle East” with Palestinians relocating elsewhere, Macron was critical, reports RTE.
“Gaza was not a real estate project,” he said, reports RTE.
“Simplistic thinking sometimes doesn’t help,” he continued, addressing Mr Trump. “Perhaps it would be wonderful if one day it developed in an extraordinary way, but our responsibility is to save lives, restore peace, and negotiate a political framework.”
He added: “If all this doesn’t exist, no one will invest. Today, no one will invest a cent in Gaza,” reports RTE.
Tell us your thoughts in the Facebook post and share this with your friends.
