France recognises Palestinian state

The country’s president announced the decision a day after a similar decision was made by the UK, Canada, Australia, and Portugal.

French President Emmanuel Macron has announced that Paris has formally recognized the Palestinian state in comments delivered at a UN summit on a two-state solution in New York on Monday.

Recognising Palestinian statehood is the “only solution that will allow for Israel to live in peace,” Macron said, calling the move a “defeat for Hamas.” “We must do everything within our power to preserve the very possibility of a two-state solution, Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace and security,” he added.

The recognition “takes nothing away from the rights of the people of Israel, who France supported from day one,” Macron added.

The UK, Canada, Australia, and Portugal formally recognized Palestine on Sunday. The decision comes as Israel faces mounting pressure in light of the deteriorating humanitarian conditions in Gaza.

Macron thanked the nations that have recognised Palestine, stating that they “took the responsible choice, the necessary choice, the choice to opt for peace.”

“Nothing will be possible unless the Palestinian authorities take full ownership of our renewed ambition so that we can, at last, achieve the two-state solution,” the French president said.

Earlier this month, the General Assembly overwhelmingly supported a resolution calling for a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine. In opposing the measure, Washington and West Jerusalem were only joined by eight other countries, including the remote Pacific island nations of Palau, Tonga, Micronesia and Nauru.

West Jerusalem began its military campaign after Hamas’ incursion on October 7, 2023, which killed about 1,200 people and saw more than 250 taken hostage. Israel’s subsequent blockade of Gaza and large-scale military operation have led to more than 65,000 people having been killed, according to the Gazan health authorities. An independent UN commission recently released findings calling what is transpiring in Gaza a genocide.