France May Recognize Palestine as a State
French President Emmanuel Macron has said that France is preparing to recognize Palestine as a state. Speaking to a media channel, he mentioned that France is making plans to announce this recognition during the United Nations conference in New York.
“We need to move forward in the direction of recognizing Palestine, and we will do so in the coming months,” Macron said. He recently visited Egypt.
Macron added, “Our goal is to co-chair the United Nations conference with Saudi Arabia, where many countries will recognize Palestine. I want to do this because we believe it is the right thing to do. However, recognizing Palestine does not mean France will deny Israel’s existence.”
France has long supported the two-state solution in the Israel-Palestine conflict. However, if France recognizes Palestine, it will mark a major policy shift and may also risk angering Israel.
So far, about 150 countries have recognized Palestine, including Ireland, Norway, and Spain. Last year in June, after Israel’s bombing in Gaza on October 7, 2023, which killed thousands of people, Slovenia also recognized Palestine.
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France is an important member of the European Union. If France recognizes Palestine, it will have a significant global impact.
During his visit to Egypt, Macron also criticized the proposal made by former U.S. President Donald Trump. Trump had promised to turn Gaza into the “Riviera of the Middle East.” Macron sarcastically remarked that Gaza is not a real estate project.
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