logo
Macron Is Mulling a Risky Choice for a Divided Electorate

Macron Is Mulling a Risky Choice for a Divided Electorate

Bloomberg06-06-2025
By
Updated on
Save
Bonjour et Bienvenue to the Paris Edition. I'm Bloomberg Opinion columnist Lionel Laurent. If you haven't yet, subscribe now to the Paris Edition newsletter.
It's been a week of political shocks for Poland and the Netherlands, where uneasy coalitions are being pulled apart in a time of Trumpian politics and weaker economic growth. In France, by contrast, things are looking relatively calm despite a clearly divided electorate. Which begs the question: Why is Emmanuel Macron's administration considering changing how elections work?
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

The 109-Year-Old Pact That Looms Over European Moves to Recognize a Palestinian State
The 109-Year-Old Pact That Looms Over European Moves to Recognize a Palestinian State

New York Times

time5 hours ago

  • New York Times

The 109-Year-Old Pact That Looms Over European Moves to Recognize a Palestinian State

When Britain's foreign secretary declared last week that his government would recognize the state of Palestine if Israel did not agree to a cease-fire with Hamas, he said the British were doing so with the 'hand of history on our shoulders.' His French counterpart also invoked history in explaining why France had taken the same step a week earlier. French leaders going back to Charles de Gaulle, he said, had called for an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on 'the recognition by each of the states involved of all the others.' Neither man mentioned the Sykes-Picot Agreement, the secret treaty between Britain and France in 1916, under which the European colonial powers carved up the Levantine territories of the crumbling Ottoman Empire into spheres of British and French control. And why would they? Sykes-Picot is cited by historians as an enduring example of Western imperial arrogance — a cynical exercise in drawing borders that cut across religious, ethnic and tribal communities in what is today Israel, Lebanon, Syria and the Palestinian territories. To many Arabs, who view it as a great betrayal, it seeded a legacy of strife and bloodshed in the Middle East. The real-time crisis unfolding in Gaza — the starving children, the Israeli restrictions on aid, the Palestinians killed as they try to collect food — undoubtedly had a greater impact on Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain and President Emmanuel Macron of France than the stains of the past. Yet their momentous decisions have cast a light on the shadowy roles of both countries in a region where they once vied for influence. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.

Fourteen nations join France in push to recognise Palestinian state
Fourteen nations join France in push to recognise Palestinian state

Yahoo

time11 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Fourteen nations join France in push to recognise Palestinian state

France and 14 other countries have co-signed a declaration that suggests a wave of future recognitions of an independent Palestinian state, including by Canada, New Zealand and Australia, could take place in the coming months. The New York Call, which was published by the French foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, on Wednesday, said that signatories 'have already recognised, have expressed or express the willingness or the positive consideration of our countries to recognise the State of Palestine'. The signatories include Andorra, Australia, Canada, Finland, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Portugal and San Marino, each of which has not yet recognised an independent Palestinian state. They also include Iceland, Ireland, Malta, Norway, Slovenia and Spain, which have. Emmanuel Macron last week said that France would recognise Palestinian statehood in the near future. The statement, which was published before the conclusion of a three-day UN conference set on reviving a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, also said the states would 'reiterate our unwavering commitment to the vision of the two-state solution where two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, live side by side in peace within secure and recognised borders'. It stressed the 'importance of unifying the Gaza Strip with the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority'. The remarks come amid growing pressure on Israel to end its military campaign in Gaza, which began in October 2023 in response to a Hamas raid that led to the deaths of 1,200 people, mainly Israelis, and the taking of more than 250 prisoners. More than 60,000 people have died in Gaza in the ensuing conflict, according to the Hamas-led health ministry in Gaza. Keir Starmer on Tuesday said that the United Kingdom would recognise the state of in September 'unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza, agree to a ceasefire and commit to a long-term, sustainable peace, reviving the prospect of a two-state solution'. Related: Why is UK preparing to recognise Palestinian statehood? Donald Trump had initially said he didn't 'mind [Starmer] taking a position. I'm looking for getting people fed right now.' But later he condemned the decision to recognise a Palestinian state, saying onboard Air Force One that 'you could make the case that you're rewarding Hamas if you do that. I don't think they should be rewarded. So I'm not in that camp, to be honest … because if you do that you are really rewarding Hamas. And I'm not about to do that.' The Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said this week that he wanted to time a recognition of Palestinian statehood to help deliver a breakthrough in negotiations. 'What we're looking at is the circumstances where recognition will advance the objective of the creation of two states,' Albanese said on Wednesday. 'My entire political life, I've said I support two states, the right of Israel to exist within secure borders and the right of Palestinians to have their legitimate aspirations for their own state realised. That's my objective.' Canadian state media have also reported that the government under the prime minister, Mark Carney, is also weighing whether to recognise Palestinian statehood but that no decision has yet been made. Carney plans to hold a virtual cabinet meeting on the Middle East on Wednesday, Canada's national public broadcaster reported. Israel's ambassador to the UN, Danny Damon, condemned the declaration. 'While our hostages are languishing in Hamas terror tunnels in Gaza, these countries choose to engage in hollow statements instead of investing their efforts in their release,' said Damon. 'This is hypocrisy and a waste of time that legitimizes terrorism and distances any chance of regional progress. Those who truly want to make progress should start with an unequivocal demand for the immediate return of all the hostages and the disarmament of Hamas.' Solve the daily Crossword

Rubio slams Macron's plan to recognize Palestinian state
Rubio slams Macron's plan to recognize Palestinian state

Yahoo

time16 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Rubio slams Macron's plan to recognize Palestinian state

Secretary of State Marco Rubio slammed Emmanuel Macron after the French president said Thursday that France would recognize Palestinian statehood, arguing doing so will only assist Hamas and downgrade prospects of reaching a peace deal between the Palestinian militant group and Israel. 'The United States strongly rejects @EmmanuelMacron's plan to recognize a Palestinian state at the @UN general assembly,' Rubio wrote in a Thursday evening statement on the social platform X. 'This reckless decision only serves Hamas propaganda and sets back peace. It is a slap in the face to the victims of October 7th.' Macron said the decision is part of a commitment to a 'just and lasting peace' in the Middle East and that he will make the announcement before the United Nations General Assembly in September. 'The French people want peace in the Middle East. It is our responsibility — as French citizens, alongside Israelis, Palestinians, and our European and international partners — to prove that peace is possible,' he said. So far, 146 countries have recognized the Palestinian state. France will become the first member of the Group of Seven (G7) to do so. Macron's announcement came the same day as the discussion between Israel and Hamas, a group designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. government, about forging a ceasefire and releasing the hostages fell apart. Steve Witkoff, President Trump's Middle East envoy, hammered Hamas, saying the group lacks the 'desire' to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. 'We will now consider alternative options to bring the hostages home and try to create a more stable environment for the people of Gaza,' Witkoff said in a statement. 'It is a shame that Hamas has acted in this selfish way. We are resolute in seeking an end to this conflict and a permanent peace in Gaza.' On Thursday, as part of the announcement, Macron called for an immediate ceasefire in the war-torn enclave, for all of the hostages held by Hamas to be freed and for the aid flowing into Gaza to increase. Israel has pushed against the international recognition of the Palestinian state, especially at the U.N. Marcon, who said he got unnamed commitments from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that made the announcement possible, was also criticized by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 'Such a move rewards terror and risks creating another Iranian proxy, just as Gaza became,' Netanyahu wrote Thursday 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. Solve the daily Crossword

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store