Metropolis Desk-
President Emmanuel Macron declared on Friday that France would no longer refrain from recognizing a Palestinian state, implying that in the event that Israeli resistance prevented negotiations for a two-state solution from moving forward, Paris may take the lead.
Without actual talks, a unilateral French recognition would not significantly alter the ground situation, but it would have political and symbolic significance.
Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, has stated that he is against Palestinian sovereignty and that he will not give up on maintaining complete Israeli security control west of Jordan. He claims that this is incompatible with the idea of a Palestinian state.
In 2014, a symbolic vote by French MPs to call for their government to recognize Palestine was taken, however it had no bearing on France’s diplomatic position.
The first time a French leader had made such a suggestion, Macron’s remarks underscored growing frustration among Western leaders as Israeli retaliation in Gaza has left casualties mounting following an attack on October 7 by the Palestinian Islamist militant group Hamas, which according to Israeli estimates claimed 1,200 lives and kidnapped 253 others.
We are collaborating with our regional partners, particularly Jordan, on this project. In the Security Council and throughout Europe, we are prepared to participate in it. France does not oppose the recognition of a Palestinian state,” Macron declared in Paris alongside King Abdullah II of Jordan.
“The Palestinian people, whose dreams have been ignored for far too long, deserve our gratitude. The Israelites, who endured the worst anti-Semitic atrocity of our century, deserve our gratitude. We owe it to a region that yearns to be free of those who create discord and exact revenge,” he declared.
It seems likely that Macron made these remarks to put more pressure on Israel.
Over 28,000 Palestinians have been murdered in Israel’s enormous aerial and military offensive in the small, densely populated Gaza, which has also destroyed built-up areas and left the majority of its 2.3 million residents homeless.
While the majority of developing nations acknowledge Palestine as a state, the majority of Western European nations disagree, contending that talks with Israel should result in the creation of an independent Palestinian state.
A portion of British policy, according to British Foreign Secretary David Cameron, is to suggest that recognition of a Palestinian state by the UK will eventually be sought after, even at the UN.
Macron went on to say that an Israeli offensive in Rafah would be a watershed in the conflict and could only result in an unparalleled humanitarian catastrophe.
