Paris: In a landmark diplomatic move at the United Nations General Assembly, French President Emmanuel Macron (47) on Monday formally recognized the State of Palestine on behalf of France, terming it a step that would help rekindle the two-state solution and bring the Gaza war to an end. This proclamation, made as the
UN General Assembly opened in New York, was met with tremendous applause from the delegates but also with biting denunciation by Israel and its allies.
``France acknowledges today the State of Palestine, in support of peace between the Palestinian people and the Israeli people," Macron declared in his 20-minute speech. ``It is time to end the war, the bombardment of Gaza, the massacres, the exodus communities. It is time for peace, because we are at risk of no longer being able to grasp it," he observed.
Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco and Andorra also followed suit. The summit's co-host nation, Saudi Arabia, called on the international community to take the same "historic step." The Palestinian Authority welcomed Macron's initiative as ``historic and courageous." Its Foreign Ministry, in a statement, said the recognition conformed to international law and UN resolutions, and appealed for other nations to do the same. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas (89), whose US visa was refused, remotely addressed the Assembly. He vowed to keep Hamas out of the next Palestinian government. ``Hamas will have no role in the government. Hamas and other factions should surrender their weapons to the Palestinian Authority," Abbas stated and denounced the October 7 attacks on Israel by Hamas.
In France, political actors exposed deep ideological divides in response to their President’s decision. A day before Macron’s proclamation, the Palestinian and Israeli flags were projected on the Eiffel Tower as a symbol of France’s call for a two-state solution. Close to a dozen left-wing municipalities, such as Nantes, Rennes, Lyon and sections of Paris, flew the Palestinian flag on town hall buildings to celebrate France’s historic stance. Interior Ministry officials disapproved of it, calling it “provocative.” Green Party councillors hoisted the flag at Paris City Hall defying Socialist mayor Anne Hidalgo's opposition.
On the French left, Macron's move was greeted by politicians as long overdue. Socialist Party called it ``a sign of hope", linked to demilitarizing Hamas and reviving the Palestinian Authority. Communist Party leader Fabien Roussel greeted it as ``a victory, but a late victory" and called on Paris to work harder for a ceasefire. France Insoumise leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon (74) embraced it as ``an irreversible victory of the popular struggle for self-determination" and called for sanctions on Israel in order to end ``crimes and genocide in Gaza" .
The French right was far from ecstatic. Far-right leader Marine Le Pen (57) accused Macron of recognizing ``Hamastan not Palestine." She said the recognition was a serious mistake in the international struggle against Islamist terrorism. Republicans leader Bruno Retailleau said the recognition made sense only ``if the conditions are met." Party leader Xavier Bertrand termed Macron's decision as ``a victory for Hamas." Israel's Paris ambassador, Joshua Zarka, blamed France for having become a ``destabilizing agent" for the Middle East.
The United States also condemned the move. The spokeswoman of President Donald Trump said the recognition ``rewards Hamas," mirroring Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's dismay.
For Macron, the move is a diplomatic bargaining chip and not a policy change, though. He made the opening of a Palestinian embassy in Paris contingent on Gaza ceasefire and the freeing of hostages. But Macron's gesture has already changed the equation globally; with the great European powers dividing and the pressure for a Palestinian state could only keep rising at the UN.
Whether symbolic or substantive, France's move is a sign of mounting exasperation with the war in Gaza and is the most dramatic acknowledgment of Palestine by a major Western power in years.
(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)
