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France: The Palestinian state revives the old left-right fracture
Between the “fundamental advance” evoked on the left and the “political error” denounced by the lines, Macron’s declaration brought up to date the traditional cleavage.
The lefts meet to approve the recognition of the Palestinian state, while the extreme right, the right and a large part of the macronist camp are not stingy with criticism.
AFP“Fundamental advance” or “victory” given to Hamas: very commented on, Emmanuel Macron’s decision to recognize the Palestine State may even weaken the government coalition and to stir up the right-left cleavages within French society.
While the differences are already numerous within the common base on the budgetary slippage or the institutional reforms advocated by the executive (proportional to the legislative elections, status of Corsica …), the announcement of the President of the Republic, Thursday, only strengthened discord.
Tensions in the presidential camp
The main criticisms came on Friday from the right: if the new boss of the Republicans and Minister of the Interior Bruno Retailleau refused to speak on the subject during a trip to Vendée, his party expressed his dissatisfaction in a press release where he warns that a “recognition of a state of Palestine would give a victory to Hamas, a terrorist organization when the hostages are not released”.
“If the security of Israel is not negotiable, the recognition of a Palestinian state cannot be done at any cost,” said LR. “The President of the Republic finds himself congratulated by Hamas. This is not how France will contribute to peace, ”abounded on X the president of the Republican deputies, Laurent Wauquiez.
These internal tensions in the support of the government are also added to a silence of several officials in the presidential camp: if certain figures such as Marc Fesneau (MoDem) or Elisabeth Borne (Renaissance) praised the initiative, nor Gabriel Attal (Renaissance) nor Edouard Philippe (Horizons) reacted to the presidential announcement.
Left: insufficient if there are no sanctions
“The divisions are important” within the common base, notes the political scientist Denys Pouillard, who observes “a greater trend on the overall side and horizons to go towards the support of the State of Israel”, unlike the modem which, for its part, more leaning “to the recognition of the Palestinians”.
The oppositions were not deprived, either, to pin the announcement of Emmanuel Macron, reviving fractures in the political class, torn between left and right around the support to be given to the Palestinians in the face of threats perceived by others as existential for Israel.
For the leader of the rebels, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, recognition constitutes a “moral victory” in the face of “the abominable agony of the Palestinian people” but he called for a “much stronger signal”. Like the Socialist Party, which praised “a fundamental advance” while alerting that this recognition will be “vain” if it is not “accompanied by sanctions” against Israel.
Le Pen on the same line as Netanyahu
“Recognizing a Palestinian state today is to recognize a Hamas state and therefore a terrorist state,” hammered the ex-candidate national for the presidential election, Marine Le Pen, on X.
For the political scientist Roland Cayrol, “we find this left-right division in opinion despite an absolute and growing majority” in favor of recognition.
Unsurprisingly, the most virulent reactions came from the Jewish community. Recognition “without conditions is a moral fault, a diplomatic error and a political danger”, denounced the representative council of the Jewish institutions of France (CRIF).
(The/RK)