France to Recognize Palestine as a State: Macron's Bold Move Amid Gaza Crisis

As global outrage grows over the starving people in Gaza, French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Thursday that France will recognize Palestine as a nation. Israel condemned this decision.

Emmanuel Macron stated in a post on X that he will formally endorse this decision at the United Nations General Assembly in September. "The urgent matter today is to stop the war in Gaza and protect the civilian population," he wrote.

As the war and humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip escalate, this symbolic step increases diplomatic pressure on Israel. France is now the largest Western power to recognize Palestine. This move could pave the way for other countries to do the same. More than 140 countries have recognized the Palestinian state, including more than a dozen countries in Europe.

In the territories captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war, Palestinians are seeking an independent state in the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza. The Israeli government and most of its political class have long opposed Palestinian statehood. Now they say that after Hamas's attack on October 7, 2023, it would reward terrorists.

''We strongly condemn President Macron's decision,'' Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement. ''Such actions encourage terrorism and risk creating another Iranian proxy like Gaza. In this situation, a Palestinian state would be a launch pad to destroy Israel. Not to live peacefully alongside it.''

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority welcomed it. On Thursday, a letter announcing the decision was presented to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Jerusalem.

"We express our thanks and gratitude to Macron," posted Hussein al-Sheikh, vice president of the PLO under Abbas's leadership. "This stance reflects France's commitment to international law and support for the Palestinian people's right to self-determination."