On Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron announced on the social media platform X that France will recognize Palestine as a state at the United Nations General Assembly in September. France will be the first member of the G-7 nations and the United Nations Security Council to take this step. He wrote that the urgent thing today is that the Gaza war stops and the civilians are saved.
The largely symbolic move increases diplomatic pressure on Israel as the war and humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip continue to escalate. Currently, France is the largest Western country to recognize Palestine, and this decision would set a precedent for other nations to follow suit. Over 140 nations recognize a Palestinian state, including more than a dozen European countries.
Palestinian people seek an independent state in the occupied West Bank, occupied Gaza, and east Jerusalem, territories Israel occupied in the 1967 Mideast war. On the other hand, the Israeli government, including most of its politicians, has long been opposed to Palestinian statehood and now says that it would reward militants after Hamas’ October 7 attack.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that they strongly condemn the French president’s decision, and such a move opens doors for terror and risks creating another Iranian proxy, just as Gaza became. Further, he added that the Palestinian state in these circumstances would be a launch pad to crush Israel.
Takeaways of the Macron Announcement
Macron’s surprise announcement reveals two things. Firstly, the French president feels this is the time to act. Heads from the United Kingdom, Germany, and France are due to speak on Friday to take urgent action over the mounting humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Over a thousand Gazans have been killed desperately in hunger, seeking food since May, and dozens more from starvation itself.
Disturbing images of starving and skeletal Gaza children have harked back to the darkest corners of the 20th century, stirring Western disgust toward the humanitarian crisis. The French president’s decision is a bold one, paving the way for your global powers to follow suit.
A senior French presidential official told CNN, following Macron’s announcement, that he has spoken with other colleagues on the phone and is certain that France won’t be the only one recognizing Palestine in September. The world will now have expectations of the United Kingdom and Germany.
Hamas welcomed Macron’s announcement and called it a positive step, while Israeli leaders condemned the move. One Israeli minister argued that the French president’s decision now justifies the official invasion of the West Bank. United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio said America strongly condemns Macron’s plan because this reckless announcement only serves Hamas propaganda and hinders peace.
