US Secretary of State Marco Rubio highlighted France’s role in the negotiations for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, noting that attempts to secure a truce were derailed in the wake of Macron’s unilateral move to recognize a Palestinian state. He voiced this position during an interview on the EWTN channel.

According to Rubio, it was on the day France officially announced the recognition of Palestine that talks with Hamas were put at risk of derailment. The politician stressed that this move, in his view, changed the dynamics of the negotiation process and affected the prospects for achieving a direct ceasefire.

“If I were Hamas, I would say it this way: ‘Let’s not reach a ceasefire… Because we could be rewarded, we could interpret this as a victory’”.

– Marco Rubio

The secretary of state also noted that after Macron’s remarks, other countries joined this line of support, saying that if there is no progress by September, the issue of recognizing Palestine on the international stage could be considered.

On August 8, the Israeli military-political leadership approved a plan to take control of the city of Gaza, following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s remarks about strengthening defense and expanding control over the enclave.

U.S. Vice President J. D. Vance noted that the Israeli government’s move aims to prevent further attacks and to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, while emphasizing that Washington does not plan to recognize Palestine as a sovereign state.

In July–August 2025, France raised the issue of recognizing Palestine on the international stage. From July 24–31 and in early August, a number of countries announced plans to recognize Palestine at the United Nations General Assembly in September 2025 if the situation in the Middle East does not reach a resolution through peaceful negotiations.

Palestine is considered a partially recognized state. Although there are countries that officially recognize it as an independent state, full control over the territory remains complex: major post-war borders run through the West Bank and East Jerusalem, while the Gaza Strip is under strong influence of various factors. As of 2024, about 143 countries worldwide recognize Palestine as an independent state, including Ukraine.

The sequence of events indicates that international reaction to initiatives for recognizing Palestine remains significantly varied, and the political dynamics surrounding peace in the region continue to influence the future steps of world players in this conflict.