France will recognize Palestinian state, becoming first G7 nation to do so
Macron, in a statement on the social platform X, said the move is part of a commitment to 'a just and lasting peace in the Middle East' and that he will make the 'solemn announcement' ahead of the United Nations General Assembly in September.
A reported 146 countries have recognized the state of Palestine, but France's announcement makes it the first of the world's leading economies, as a member of the Group of Seven (G7) nations and a member of the United Nations Security Council.
The announcement comes amid a breakdown in talks for a ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas, the U.S.-designated terror group controlling the Gaza Strip. President Trump's special envoy for peace missions, Steve Witkoff, put the blame on Hamas as failing to show good faith.
Macron urged an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the return of all the hostages held by Hamas and massive humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people there, where death from starvation appears to be increasing.
Macron said he received unnamed commitments from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that made it possible to move forward with his announcement on Thursday. France is expected to host, alongside Saudi Arabia, a conference on achieving a two-state solution to the Israeli and Palestinian conflict at the upcoming U.N. General Assembly in September.
'The French people want peace in the Middle East. It is up to us, the French, together with the Israelis, the Palestinians, and our European and international partners, to demonstrate that it is possible,' Macron said.
Israel has lobbied against international recognition of a Palestinian state, in particular at the U.N., where recognition and admission would bestow legitimacy and voting power in the General Assembly. Formal inclusion can only be granted by the U.N. Security Council, and the U.S. used its veto power in April 2024 to block Palestine's bid to become a full member.
In May that year, the U.N. General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to grant Palestine status as an observer state and recommended the Security Council vote for its inclusion as a full, voting state.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned Macron's announcement in light of Hamas's Oct. 7, 2023, attack against Israel.
'Such a move rewards terror and risks creating another Iranian proxy, just as Gaza became,' he wrote on X.
'A Palestinian state in these conditions would be a launch pad to annihilate Israel — not to live in peace beside it. Let's be clear: the Palestinians do not seek a state alongside Israel; they seek a state instead of Israel.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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