French President Says France Will Recognize Palestine as a State

What Happened?

French President Emmanuel Macron issued a statement Thursday saying France will recognize Palestine as a state. Mr. Macron later said he would formalize the decision at the U.N. in September, while also posting on X, ‘The urgent thing today is that the war in Gaza stops and the civilian population is saved.’

'We strongly condemn President Macron's decision,'’ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during a press conference. The Palestinian Authority said, ‘we express our thanks to President Macron.’ U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also posted on X that ‘the United States strongly rejects Macron’s plan.’

Why it Matters

France is now the biggest western nation to recognize an independent Palestinian state. To date over 140 countries including half a dozen in Europe have recognized Palestine as a state. Though the move by French President Macron is symbolic, it could put additional pressure on Israel to end combat operations in Gaza by highlighting the suffering of Palestinian civilians during the next general session of the United Nations in September.

France contains the largest Jewish population outside Israel but also the largest Muslim population in Western Europe, meaning President Macron’s stance on the issue partly reflects French domestic priorities.

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Violent social unrest by France’s Muslim population has been a growing problem for the past decade as increasing numbers of refugees from Middle Eastern wars fled to France for sanctuary. Mr. Maron’s decision to recognize a Palestinian state could reduce tensions between the French government and France’s Muslim population.

At the same time the move to recognize Palestine as a state will likely exacerbate the split between Europe and the United States over the war in Gaza. While the Trump Administration has increased its support for Israel both militarily and politically, European nations, who originally supported Israel after the October 7^th attacks, have become increasingly impatient with the Israeli military campaign in Gaza. 

The strongest condemnation of France’s decision came from Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said, ‘Such a move rewards terror and risks creating another Iranian proxy, just as Gaza became.’

Though the Palestinian Authority welcomed the French decision, governing has not been the strong suit of any of the groups charged with managing the municipal affairs in Gaza or the West Bank. In particular, the governance of Gaza by Hamas has been poorly managed, mainly because Hamas is focused on attacking Israel and not on governing. 

How it Affects You

The stage is now set for a potential showdown over Gaza between European allies and the Trump Administration at the next U.N. General Assembly. The 80^th session of the U.N. will formally open on September 9^th and will run through September 23^rd in New York. Political fireworks over Gaza are likely to take center stage during those days.