France has formally recognized the State of Palestine, in a historic move that aims to mobilize support for the two-state solution and ramp up pressure on Israel to end its war on Gaza.
“Due to the historic commitment of my country to the Middle East, to peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians, this is why I declare that today France recognizes the State of Palestine,” the French President, Emmanuel Macron, announced on Monday.
The announcement took place at the High-level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution in New York, co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France.
Several countries will also follow suit on Monday, including Belgium, Luxembourg, San Marino, and Malta. On Sunday, the UK, Canada, Portugal and Australia formally recognized the State of Palestine.
In July, the French President, Emmanuel Macron, pledged to recognize Palestinian Statehood, calling for other countries to join Paris.
The wave of Palestinian recognition is the culmination of an intensive diplomatic push spearheaded by Saudi Arabia to revive the two-state solution and resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
The Kingdom’s efforts included launching the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution in September 2024, in partnership with Norway and the EU, leading to a series of recognitions by countries, including Spain, Norway, Ireland, Slovenia, and Armenia
The recognition of Palestine comes amid strong opposition from the US and Israel. On Monday, the White House said that President Donald Trump “disagrees” with Western countries’ decision to recognize a Palestinian State. “He (Trump) believes it is a reward to Hamas,” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told a briefing.
“He believes these decisions are just more talk and not enough action,” Leavitt said, adding that Trump will talk about it at the UN on Tuesday.
