He got involved! France will recognize the Palestinian state. This is in any case what Emmanuel Macron announced last night in a press release posted on his X and Instagram account. Saying himself “faithful to his historical commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East”, he wishes to create a “collective dynamic in this sense”. The official announcement must be made next September at a UN conference co-worked with Saudi Arabia, already postponed due to the conflict between Israel and Iran.
In Tel Aviv, the French decision is highly criticized. She “rewards terror,” said Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu, referring to the attack on Hamas on October 7, 2023. “Let’s be clear: the Palestinians do not seek to obtain a state alongside Israel, they are looking for a state in the place of Israel,” he added. On BFMTV, the Israeli ambassador to France deplored a “historical error” of France.
The United States, a faithful ally of the Hebrew State, also “firmly” reject the French project by evoking an “reckless” decision which makes peace go back. “It is a camouflet for the victims of October 7,” said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The German government declared to him “not to consider recognizing a short -term Palestinian state” after the announcements of Emmanuel Macron. If he “continues to consider the recognition of a Palestinian state as one of the last stages towards the two -state solution”, he recalls “the primordial importance” of the security of Israel.
Italy, through the voice of its Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, spoke against any unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state. “The recognition of a Palestinian state can only take place if the Palestinian entity in return recognizes the state of Israel,” he said before adding that a Palestinian State not recognizing Israel could not help resolve the conflict.
For the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, the French decision nevertheless participates in peace in the Middle East: “Hamas has always refused the solution to two states. By recognizing Palestine, France proves this terrorist movement wrong. She agreed to the peace of peace against that of war, ”he posted on X.
A decision welcomed by the Gulf countries
On the international scene, the French decision is also applauded. In particular on the Palestinian side with the vice-president of the Palestine Liberation Organization (OLP), Hussein al-Cheikh who welcomes a project in favor of the establishment of an independent state as well as the president of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas who describes this recognition as “victory for the Palestinian cause”. Hamas evokes him a “positive not and called on other countries to follow this example.
In the Gulf countries, major supporters of the Palestinian cause, the reactions are unanimous. All of them greet the French decision, in particular Saudi Arabia which will co-prresse with France next September the UN conference on the so-called “two states” solution. “The kingdom salutes this historic decision which reaffirms the consensus of the international community on the right of the Palestinian people to self -determination and the establishment of an independent state on the borders of 1967,” the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote in a statement. He called on other countries to take similar measures.
Qatar, which plays the role of mediator between Israel and Hamas, praised a “positive development […] which will help strengthen the chances of just and global peace in the region. ” Just like Kuwait which underlines “the need for all other states to take similar measures in order to find a just and global solution to the Palestinian question”.
Mobilize international partners
In May 2024, Ireland, Spain and Norway, joined a month later by Slovenia, had already taken the step in Europe on the recognition of the Palestinian State. Following the announcement of Emmanuel Macron, the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez reacted on X: “Together, we must protect what (Benjamin) Netanyahu tries to destroy. The two -state solution is the only solution. ”
In his letter addressed to Mahmoud Abbas, Emmanuel Macron said that he will mobilize all his international partners who wish to take part in the French decision.
On May 19, the United Kingdom, Canada and France had paved the way for possible recognition in a joint declaration. Visiting the United Kingdom on July 10, Emmanuel Macron called for a common recognition of the State of Palestine by France and the United Kingdom.
Critics of the increasingly vehement Israeli government
If France’s decision to recognize the Palestine State remains singular among the great Western powers, it occurs in a context of intensification of criticism against the Israeli government. Faced with the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza where a quarter of children aged six to five suffer from malnutrition, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced an “emergency interview” on Friday with his French and German counterparts on the possibilities “to stop massacres and provide the population with the food they are desperately needed”.
This Friday, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney condemned “the inability of the Israeli government to prevent humanitarian disaster”. He reiterates his support for a two -state solution announcing active support from Canada to achieve this at the United Nations high -level conference to be held in New York next week.
Marius Texier (With AFP)