French President, Emmanuel Macron’s plan to recognise a Palestinian state has sparked criticism from US and its ally, Israel.
US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio said that Washington “strongly rejects” Macron’s plan. He called it a “reckless decision” which “only serves Hamas propaganda and sets back peace.”
Macron had said that he would formalise France’s decision to officially recognise a Palestinian state at the UN’s General Assembly in September.
“In keeping with its historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, I have decided that France will recognise the State of Palestine.”
Emmanuel Macron
At least 142 countries out of the 193 members of the UN currently recognise or plan to recognise a Palestinian state. However, several powerful Western countries – including the US, the United Kingdom and Germany – have refused to do so.
Fellow European Union members Norway, Ireland and Spain indicated in May that they had begun the process to recognise a Palestinian state, but Macron’s decision would make France – one of Israel’s closest allies and a G7 member – the largest and arguably most influential country in Europe to make the move.
The announcement comes as European anger over Israel’s war on Gaza, in which Israel has killed 59,587 Palestinians and imposed severe restrictions on aid deliveries that have led to a hunger crisis, has grown.
Hussein al-Sheikh, Deputy to Palestinian Authority President praised the French leader’s plan, saying that it reflects France’s commitment to international law and its support for the Palestinian people’s rights to self-determination and the establishment of their independent state.
Hamas also hailed Macron’s announcement as a “positive step” and urged all countries to do the same.
However, Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the decision, saying that such a move “rewards terror and risks creating another Iranian proxy.”
“A Palestinian state in these conditions would be a launch pad to annihilate Israel – not to live in peace beside it.
“Let’s be clear: the Palestinians do not seek a state alongside Israel; they seek a state instead of Israel.”
Benjamin Netanyahu
Israeli Defence Minister, Israel Katz also described the move as “a disgrace and a surrender to terrorism.” He added that Israel would not allow the establishment of a “Palestinian entity that would harm our security, endanger our existence.”
There is mounting pressure on Israel to end its deadly war on Gaza, waged in the wake of the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attacks on southern Israel, which saw some 1,139 people killed and more than 200 captives taken to the Palestinian enclave.
Israel’s subsequent 21-month assault on Gaza has resulted in almost 60,000 Palestinians being killed, with a further 144,000 wounded.Months-long ceasefire negotiations – brokered by the US, Egypt and Qatar – have so far failed to yield a breakthrough.
US To Miss Upcoming UN Conference Seeking Two-state Solution For Palestinians
Meanwhile, US State Department Deputy Spokesperson, Tommy Pigott said that the US will not attend an upcoming conference set to be held at the UN on the two-state solution.
The conference – co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, and scheduled to take place between July 28-30 – seeks to chart a roadmap to end the decades-long conflict and recognise a Palestinian state.
Speaking to reporters, Pigott said that there was “nothing further” to say about the issue other than that Washington “will not be in attendance.”
While supporting a two-state solution remains the long-held official stance of the US, President Donald Trump has himself expressed doubts about its viability.
Since returning to the White House in January, Trump suggested that the US could “take over” Gaza, displace the territory’s more than two million Palestinian population, and transform it into the “Riviera of the Middle East.”
Trump’s plan has been condemned by rights groups, Arab states, Palestinians and the UN as tantamount to “ethnic cleansing.”
Major barriers remain to the creation of a future Palestinian state.Israel currently occupies the Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, long considered the capital of the future Palestinian state.
The Israeli government has overseen a major expansion of Israeli settlements, illegal under international law, across the occupied West Bank, in what rights observers have described as effective annexation.
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