{"id":190861,"date":"2025-06-17T05:28:09","date_gmt":"2025-06-17T05:28:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/190861\/"},"modified":"2025-06-17T05:28:09","modified_gmt":"2025-06-17T05:28:09","slug":"france-under-pressure-over-new-date-for-un-palestinian-recognition-summit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/190861\/","title":{"rendered":"France under pressure over new date for UN Palestinian recognition summit"},"content":{"rendered":"

French President Emmanuel Macron<\/a> must move swiftly to set a new date for a UN conference on Palestinian statehood after the Iran-Israel war derailed plans to hold it on Tuesday, activists have told The National.<\/p>\n

Mr Macron had said he may recognise a Palestinian state<\/a> during the conference co-chaired with Saudi Arabia, raising some hope European countries would follow suit and increase diplomatic pressure on Israel to accept the proposal.<\/p>\n

The Iranian-Israeli conflict and track is itself part of the wider sort of issue emanating from the unresolved Israeli-Palestinian conflict<\/p>\n

John Lyndon,
Allmep executive director<\/p>\n

The French President has vowed to push on with diplomatic efforts to achieve a two-state solution despite the delay, which he justified by saying that neither Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas nor Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman<\/a> could fly to New York after Israel bombed Iran on Friday. The attack has triggered retaliatory attacks and the closure of the airspace of several countries in the region.<\/p>\n

Peace organisations who came to Paris for a conference on Friday on the two-state solution will be campaigning to ensure he delivers on his promise, said Brussels-based activist Dan Sobovitz, who took part in the meeting that was organised to contribute to this week’s conference in New York. <\/p>\n

About 400 participants in Friday’s conference were invited to the Elysee Palace to talk to the President, who reportedly told them he remained focused on supporting Palestinian statehood. “His main message was: you can count on me,” Mr Sobovitz told The National. “He should commit to a date.” The next UN General Assembly<\/a> meeting is scheduled for September. <\/p>\n

In a closed-door meeting with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, the organisers of Friday’s conference, the Alliance for Middle East Peace (Allmep), a network of 170 civil society organisations, highlighted concerns that the Palestinian issue would be sidelined by the latest Iran-Israel escalation. At least 15 Palestinians were killed on Sunday by Israeli fire near an aid centre in Gaza, bringing the total number of Palestinians killed in the enclave since October 2023 to more than 55,200. <\/p>\n

“The number one priority has to be ending Gaza’s war,” said John Lyndon, Allmep’s executive director. “The situation between Iran and Israel is deeply concerning. It’s incredibly destabilising for the region, but the Iranian-Israeli conflict and track is itself part of the wider sort of issue emanating from the unresolved Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”<\/p>\n

France may reorganise the conference in the “coming weeks”, Mr Barrot said, without giving a date. “The momentum is unstoppable,” he told TV network Public Senat. <\/p>\n

Israel’s ally<\/b><\/p>\n

For now, most French politicians, including Mr Macron, have rallied behind Israeli claims that the bombing was justified because of its right to defend itself in the face of Iran’s nuclear programme<\/a>. Some have called on President to remain focused on Palestine.<\/p>\n

The French government views Iran’s nuclear programme as an existential threat for Europe and Israel, and Paris’s relations with Tehran have become increasingly tense over Iran’s three-year long detention of two French citizens<\/a> in conditions “akin to torture”. Last week, the UN nuclear watchdog’s 35-nation board of governors declared Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations for the first time in almost 20 years.<\/p>\n

“France must take Iran’s threats against Israel seriously, while at the same time pushing for a solution to the Palestinian problem,” Raphael Glucksmann, a leading socialist politician, said in an interview with national broadcaster TF1 on Monday. <\/p>\n

Some French analysts suggest Mr Macron had been struggling to gain momentum for the New York conference. Delaying it may give him more time to rally international support after a US campaign to discourage states from taking part. <\/p>\n

The President’s initial hope of a “mutual recognition process” involving more Arab countries establishing ties with Israel, alongside other western countries, faced difficulties as Gaza ceasefire talks broke down.<\/p>\n

“It’s catastrophic that once again, the decade-old Israeli-Palestinian question is pushed aside and taken hostage by war,” said international affairs commentator Pierre Haski. <\/p>\n

“Postponing the conference is also a way of not exposing oneself to failure, though comments made both by Mr Macron and Mr Barrot show they’re strongly committed to the idea of holding the conference considering the amount of energy and political capital they’ve invested in it,” Mr Haski told The National.<\/p>\n

Shaddad Al Attili, head of the Palestine Liberation Organisation’s negotiation unit, welcomed the delay, saying the Iran-Israel war would have overshadowed any announcements. “In these conditions, it’s best to wait,” he said. <\/p>\n

No empty gestures<\/b><\/p>\n

Yet the latest war has left many peace activists \u2013 both Palestinian and Israeli \u2013 wondering what comes next, as concerns mount over regional instability. One Palestinian NGO worker, who asked to remain anonymous due to online threats to participants of Friday’s conference, said the postponement was understandable given that Palestinian cities including Ramallah and Jericho had been closed by Israel because of the Iranian attacks<\/a>. <\/p>\n

“It’s a horrible time,” they said, speaking from Ramallah after returning from Paris via Jordan. “The bombings are not just on Tel Aviv, they’re also near us.” About 224 people in Iran, including senior officials and nuclear scientists, have been killed in Israeli bombing since Friday, and 24 in Israel have died in Iranian missile attacks. <\/p>\n

In Israel, Mr Macron’s two-state solution initiative has been rejected by the government<\/a> and viewed by many as a hostile move. <\/p>\n

Many Israeli peace activists who took part in Friday’s conference were left stranded in Paris by the closure of Israeli airspace, which remains in place. “Recognition is too important to be offered as an empty gesture. It needs to be done at a time when people can give priority to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict,” Israeli analyst Gil Murciano told The National. “It should be used as a tool to promote a two-state solution. Right now, people care about whether they’ll be alive tomorrow.”<\/p>\n

‘Saand Ki Aankh’<\/p>\n

Produced by: Reliance Entertainment with Chalk and Cheese Films
Director: Tushar Hiranandani
Cast: Taapsee Pannu, Bhumi Pednekar, Prakash Jha, Vineet Singh
Rating: 3.5\/5 stars<\/p>\n

It Was Just an Accident<\/p>\n

Director:<\/strong> Jafar Panahi<\/p>\n

Stars:<\/strong> Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr<\/p>\n

Rating:<\/strong> 4\/5<\/p>\n

Squads<\/p>\n

India:<\/strong> Kohli (c), Rahul, Shaw, Agarwal, Pujara, Rahane, Vihari, Pant (wk), Ashwin, Jadeja, Kuldeep, Shami, Umesh, Siraj, Thakur<\/p>\n

West Indies:<\/strong> Holder (c), Ambris, Bishoo, Brathwaite, Chase, Dowrich (wk), Gabriel, Hamilton, Hetmyer, Hope, Lewis, Paul, Powell, Roach, Warrican, Joseph<\/p>\n

Our legal columnist<\/p>\n

Name:\u00a0<\/strong>Yousef Al Bahar<\/p>\n

Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994<\/p>\n

Education:\u00a0<\/strong>Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers<\/p>\n

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pocketsFrom Zero <\/p>\n

Artist:<\/strong> Linkin Park<\/p>\n

Label:<\/strong> Warner Records<\/p>\n

Number of tracks:\u00a0<\/strong>11<\/p>\n

Rating:<\/strong> 4\/5<\/p>\n

PAKISTAN SQUAD<\/p>\n

Abid Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood, Azhar Ali (test captain), Babar Azam (T20 captain), Asad Shafiq, Fawad Alam, Haider Ali, Iftikhar Ahmad, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper), Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Imran Khan, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Sohail Khan, Usman Shinwari, Wahab Riaz, Imad Wasim, Kashif Bhatti, Shadab Khan and Yasir Shah.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Killing of Qassem SuleimaniMATCH INFO<\/p>\n

Osasuna 1 Real Madrid 4
Osasuna:\u00a0Garc\u00eda (14′)
Real Madrid:\u00a0Isco (33′), Ramos (38′), V\u00e1zquez (84′), Jovic (90′ 2)<\/p>\n

Our legal consultant<\/p>\n

Name:<\/strong>\u00a0Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais<\/p>\n

Position:<\/strong>\u00a0legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.<\/p>\n

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pocketsA German university was a good fit for the family budget<\/p>\n

Annual fees for the\u00a0Technical University of Munich – \u00a3600<\/p>\n

Shared rental accommodation per month depending on the location ranges between\u00a0 \u00a3200-600<\/p>\n

The family had budgeted for food, books, travel, living expenses – \u00a320,000 annually<\/p>\n

Overall costs in Germany are\u00a0lower than the family estimated\u00a0<\/p>\n

As proof that the student has the ability to take care of expenses, international students must open a blocked account with about \u00a38,640<\/p>\n

Students are permitted to withdraw\u00a0\u00a3720 per month<\/p>\n

At a glance<\/p>\n

Global events:<\/strong> Much of the UK\u2019s economic woes were blamed on \u201cincreased global uncertainty\u201d, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump\u2019s tariffs.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Growth forecasts: <\/strong>Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Welfare:<\/strong> Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Spending cuts:<\/strong> Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by \u00a36.1bn in 2029-30\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Tax evasion:<\/strong> Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise \u201c\u00a36.5bn per year\u201d for the public purse<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Defence:<\/strong>\u00a0New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Housing:<\/strong> Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra \u00a33.4bn for public finances<\/p>\n

FROM%20THE%20ASHES<\/p>\n

%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Khalid%20Fahad%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Shaima%20Al%20Tayeb%2C%20Wafa%20Muhamad%2C%20Hamss%20Bandar%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A<\/p>\n

Dust and sand storms compared<\/p>\n

Sand storm<\/strong><\/p>\n