Macron signals major shift; France to recognise Palestinian state

French President Emmanuel Macron said his country was prepared to recognise the Palestinian state soon, and could formalise the decision at a United Nations conference in New York in June. The conference, to be co-chaired with Saudi Arabia, aims to advance a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

 

France has historically refrained from unilaterally recognising Palestine, arguing that it should happen following a broader peace process. What must have prompted Macron to alter the course is perhaps Israel’s unilateral decision to abandon the ceasefire with Hamas and resume its armed operations in Gaza.

 

Macron framed recognition as a matter of justice and regional stability while speaking to France 5 television after a visit to Egypt, where he inspected a hospital near the Gaza border treating Palestinians. "We must take the path of recognition," he said, stressing that the decision would not be driven by appeasement but by a commitment to fairness. 

 

He envisions a "collective dynamic" wherein mutual recognition—Palestinian statehood by some nations and Israeli statehood by others—could foster peace. He said such a step would strengthen the French stance against actors like Iran, which deny Israel's right to exist while promoting collective security in the Middle East.

 

France also has another interest in promoting peace between Israel and its neighbours as the country is home to Europe's largest Jewish and Muslim minorities. Macron also knows that Israel has a substantial French-speaking population with strong ties to France, amplifying the issue's domestic resonance for the French president. 

 

Macron's announcement follows 18 months of devastating conflict in Gaza, sparked by Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people and the taking of 250 hostages. Israeli retaliation has so far caused over 50,000 deaths in Gaza and also a major humanitarian crisis with suspended food and aid deliveries, which has galvanised global calls for Palestinian statehood.

 

Macron’s move has come as a major morale booster for the Palestinian Authority which called the latest initiative a major step towards safeguarding Palestinian rights and promoting the two-state solution. Israel has obviously been critical, with Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar saying that Macron was rewarding terrorism and strengthening Hamas, diminishing the chance for peace. 

 

The French Jewish umbrella group Crif echoed this sentiment, calling it "an unacceptable political victory" for Hamas while Israeli hostages remain in captivity. Israel maintains that such recognitions are premature without direct negotiations, a stance shared by major western powers like the United States, United Kingdom, Germany and Australia, which have withheld recognition despite growing international support. In 2024, countries including Spain, Ireland, Norway and Slovenia recognised Palestine, prompting Israeli backlash.

 

Macron's latest diplomacy initiative also shows his opposition to displacement or annexation in Gaza and the West Bank. During his Egypt trip, he held extensive talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Jordan’s King Abdullah II about the likelihood of forced expulsion of Palestinians. He explicitly rejected the proposal by President Donald Trump to transform Gaza into a “Riviera of the Middle East” by relocating Palestinians, calling it simplistic and unfeasible without a political framework. "No one will invest a cent in Gaza" without peace, Macron said, emphasising the need to save lives and restore stability.

 

Meanwhile, an intriguing alignment has emerged between Israel and France’s far-right National Rally (RN) party of Marine Le Pen. In a historic first, RN leader Jordan Bardella visited Israel late last month to attend a government-organised conference on antisemitism, a stark departure from the RN’s antisemitic roots under its predecessor, the National Front, founded by Marine’s father Jean-Marie Le Pen. Bardella’s efforts to rebrand the RN as a mainstream force include distancing it from its xenophobic past and aligning with Israel against what he terms “Islamist ideology”. This shift mirrors a broader trend where European far-right parties, once shunned by Israel, find common cause with Israel’s right-wing government.

 

Dealing with the far right is not something new for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as his existing ruling coalition includes figures like Itamar Ben Gvir, who was once rejected by the military and had a conviction for supporting a terror organisation. The prime minister's far right cabinet allies want to promote ties with far right parties across the world, especially in Europe, considering them as allies against shared adversaries, despite their antisemitic background. 

 

For Macron, navigating these complex dynamics, which includes balancing Palestinian recognition with domestic and international pressures, is unlikely to be an easy task as France treads carefully in pursuit of peace.

Middle East