(JTA) — President Emmanuel Macron says France plans to recognize a Palestinian state during his appearance at the United Nations’ General Assembly in September.
The move is “consistent with [France’s] historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East,” Macron wrote in a post on X announcing his decision. The post was accompanied by a letter to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas outlining his reasoning.
The announcement — which appeared in French, English, Arabic and Hebrew — came as a surprise after Macron backed out of a meeting with Saudi Arabia next week, delayed from June, at which Palestinian statehood was expected to be discussed.
The announcement is largely symbolic. But it is a powerful symbol, coming as France and other allies have grown frustrated with Israel’s war in Gaza and alarmed by the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding there. France is by far the largest and most influential country to recognize a Palestinian state. It also has the largest Jewish population of any country to have done so.
Israeli officials panned Macron’s announcement. “Such a move rewards terror and risks creating another Iranian proxy, just as Gaza became,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement. “A Palestinian state in these conditions would be a launchpad to annihilate Israel — not to live in peace beside it.”
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement that the United States “strongly rejects” Macron’s move. “This reckless decision only serves Hamas propaganda and sets back peace,” Rubio wrote on X. “It is a slap in the face to the victims of October 7th.”
Hamas praised Macron’s move as “a positive step in the right direction,” even as Macron made clear that he saw the Palestinian Authority, not it, as the leader of a future state.
Spain, Norway and Ireland all announced last year that they would recognized a Palestinian state, joining roughly 140 other countries that had already done so. But most Western countries have avoided the move in favour of calling for a negotiated two-state solution.
Macron’s letter to Abbas signaled that he could work to get other countries on board. The letter praised Abbas for recently condemning Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, calling for the release of the Israeli hostages in Gaza and promising to reform his administration.
“I welcome these courageous commitments and highlight in return France’s own commitment to fostering the implementation of the solution of two States, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security,” Macron wrote. “This solution is the only path that can address the legitimate aspirations of both the Israelis and the Palestinians. It must now be brought about as quickly as possible.”
In a statement posted on X on July 24, Prime Minister Mark Carney said that, “Canada supports a two-state solution which guarantees peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians. Canada will work intensively in all fora to further that end, including through the participation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs at the UN High-Level Conference on a Two-State Solution in New York next week.”
The statement also condemned “the Israeli government’s failure to prevent the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian disaster in Gaza. We reiterate our calls for Hamas to immediately release all the hostages, and for the Israeli government to respect the territorial integrity of the West Bank and Gaza. “
With files from The Canadian Jewish News.
