President Emmanuel Macron will formally recognise a Palestinian state in New York on Monday, backed by several other European countries, describing France’s move as a “necessity”.
Coming hard on the heels of a decision by the UK, Canada and Australia, Macron said his move would be the “beginning of a political process and a peace and security plan for everybody”.
France, like the UK, carries considerable diplomatic weight as both a permanent member of the UN Security Council and the G7, and is co-ordinating the push with Saudi Arabia on the sidelines of this week’s UN General Assembly.
Paris will not be joined by two of the other big European states in the G7, Germany and Italy, and not by the US either.
Israel has denounced the move as a reward for Hamas, and its UN ambassador has called Monday’s event a circus.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted there will be no Palestinian state to the west of the River Jordan, and President Isaac Herzog said recognising one would only “embolden the forces of darkness”.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot was adamant that his country’s move was a “categorical rejection” of Hamas but said it was “symbolic, immediate, and political, demonstrating France’s commitment to the two-state solution”.
He spoke of Macron’s declaration as a “great diplomatic victory for our country”. Paris has said Belgium, Luxembourg and Malta are also set to announce formal recognition, along with the tiny states of Andorra and San Marino. Portugal made its own declaration late on Sunday.
A number of other European countries have already recognised a Palestinian state, including Spain and Norway last year, but Macron’s move is seen as a gamble by some domestic commentators which might make little difference on the ground.
Ahead of Macron’s announcement, the Palestinian and Israeli flags were displayed on the Eiffel Tower on Sunday night. A number of town halls in France also flew Palestinian flags on Monday, despite a government order to local prefects to maintain neutrality.
Pro-Palestinian protests also took place in Italy, in some 80 towns and cities in Italy, where Giorgia Meloni’s government said recently it could be “counter-productive” to recognise a state that did not exist.
Public transport and ports were disrupted in a day of action organised by some trade unions. A key metro line in Milan was shut down, while university students in Turin and Bologna blocked access top lecture halls.
In Germany, the government says Palestinian statehood is not currently up for debate, and Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul explained as he left for New York on Monday that “for Germany, recognition of a Palestinian state comes more at the end of the process. But this process must begin now”.
Although Germany is one of Israel’s closest allies in Europe, its chancellor, Friedrich Merz, has become increasingly critical of Israel’s military response in Gaza.
European Union officials have also toughened their language against Israel in recent weeks. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for an end last week to “the horrific events taking place in Gaza on a daily basis”.
In a CBS News interview late on Sunday, President Macron spoke of a phased plan that would be geared towards isolating Hamas.
The first stage would involve a ceasefire, a release of all hostages and then the stabilisation of Gaza, he explained. The second would involve governance and reconstruction of Gaza, and the “third package, the perspective of two states”.
Opening a French embassy would be conditional on the release of hostages still held by Hamas, he stressed.
But Macron’s high-profile move in United Nations has met with criticism from some of his political opponents.
Jordan Bardella, of the far-right National Rally, said it was a “mistake, while Hamas still holds Israeli hostages”, and he pointed out that it amounted to “rewarding the atrocities committed on 7 October [2023], during the deadliest attack ever known by the state of Israel”.
