NEW YORK: France has officially recognized the State of Palestine, becoming the latest in a growing list of Western and European nations to extend formal recognition amid intensifying calls for a two-state solution. Addressing the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron declared, “The time for peace has come,” adding that “nothing justifies the ongoing war in Gaza.”
The announcement follows a weekend wave of recognitions by the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and Portugal, while Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta, Andorra, and San Marino are expected to follow in the coming days. Macron said recognition was both a moral and political necessity, stressing that the international community had for decades failed to secure “a just and lasting peace in the Middle East.”
France’s declaration comes at a moment of sharp geopolitical tension. The United States and Israel boycotted a one-day summit co-hosted by France and Saudi Arabia in New York that centred on reviving a two-state framework. Fellow G7 powers Germany and Italy were also absent, highlighting divisions among Western allies. Israel has fiercely opposed the recognition drive, calling it a “reward for terrorism” after Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel that killed around 1,200 people and left 251 taken hostage.
Since then, Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 65,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, while famine and mass displacement have gripped the enclave. Israeli forces are pressing a ground offensive into Gaza City, which was home to over one million people before the war. Macron warned against the “peril of endless wars” and stressed that “right must always prevail over might.” He urged an immediate halt to hostilities and the release of all Israeli hostages.
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, speaking on behalf of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, echoed the call, insisting that the two-state solution remains the only viable path to durable peace. The European Union also signalled support, with Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announcing the creation of a “Palestine Donor Group” to channel resources into Gaza’s reconstruction.
UN Secretary General António Guterres described the humanitarian situation in Gaza as “morally, legally and politically intolerable.” He reiterated that a two-state solution is “the only credible path” to ending decades of conflict.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, denied a US visa to attend in person, addressed the gathering by video link. In a notable break with Hamas, Abbas condemned the October 7 attacks and declared that the militant group should have no role in governing Gaza. He urged Hamas to surrender its weapons to the Palestinian Authority, stressing the need for “one unified state without weapons.” Speaking directly to Israelis, Abbas appealed for reconciliation: “Our future and yours depends on peace. Enough violence and war.”
The recognition by France, coupled with broader European and international moves, marks one of the most significant diplomatic shifts in the Israel–Palestine conflict in decades. Whether it can generate the leverage needed to pressure Israel, or pave the way for a ceasefire and political negotiations, remains uncertain.
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