France will recognise Palestinian state in September, Israel condemns move

French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Thursday that France will officially recognise Palestine as a state.

Posting on X (formerly Twitter), Macron said the decision will be formalised at the United Nations General Assembly in September. “The urgent thing today is that the war in Gaza stops and the civilian population is saved,” Macron wrote.

France becomes the most powerful Western nation to take such a step, joining over 140 countries that have granted recognition to a Palestinian state.

Malta had said it would recognise a Palestinian state but is yet to take the step.

The Israeli government reacted sharply. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned Macron’s move in a statement. “’Such a move rewards terror and risks creating another Iranian proxy, just as Gaza became. A Palestinian state in these conditions would be a launch pad to annihilate Israel — not to live in peace beside it.”

Meanwhile, the Palestinian leadership embraced the decision. Macron’s formal letter of intent was delivered personally to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Jerusalem on Thursday.

“This position reflects France’s commitment to international law and its support for the Palestinian people’s rights to self-determination,” posted Hussein Al Sheikh, Vice President of the PLO.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington strongly rejects the plan. Calling it reckless, Rubio said the decision “serves Hamas propaganda” and undermines the memory of victims from the 7 October 2023 attacks.

France, which is home to both the largest Jewish and Muslim communities in Western Europe, has long walked a tightrope on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Macron initially expressed staunch support for Israel after the October 7th attacks but has become increasingly critical of Israel’s war conduct in Gaza, especially as famine and civilian casualties mount.

On Friday, Labour MP Edward Zammit Lewis said that France's recognition of the Palestinian state is an important step given the country's status as a member of the UN Security Council and G7. However, he also said that Malta needs to take the same step now.

"I always said that Malta must make this step but must choose the right time. Now I believe that Malta must take this step immediately, but must also continue to build alliances at a European and global level in favour of Palestine and against the unacceptable atrocities being perpetrated in Gaza, which we cannot keep ignoring," he said.

He said he is encouraging Prime Minister Robert Abela and Foreign Minister Ian Borg to carry this out immediately.