France has recognised a Palestinian state, joining several Western countries in doing so, ahead of the annual United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) meeting in New York.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have gathered here because the time has come,\u201d President Emmanuel Macron said at a UN summit convened to revive the long-delayed two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.<\/p>\n
Recommended Stories list of 2 itemsend of list<\/p>\n
\u201cIt falls on us, this responsibility, to do everything in our power to preserve the possibility of a two-state solution.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday, I declare that France recognises the state of Palestine,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Recognition of Palestinian statehood by Australia, Canada, Portugal and the United Kingdom on Sunday piled pressure on Israel as it intensifies its genocidal war on Gaza, which has killed more than 65,300 Palestinians and turned the enclave into rubble.<\/p>\n
Spain, Norway and Ireland recognised Palestinian statehood last year, with Madrid also imposing sanctions on Israel for its war on Gaza.<\/p>\n
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told the summit that a two-state solution was not possible \u201cwhen the population of one of those two states is the victim of a genocide\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Palestinian people are being annihilated, [so] in the name of reason, in the name of international law and in the name of human dignity, we have to stop this slaughter,\u201d Sanchez said.<\/p>\n
Macron, in his speech, also outlined a framework for the creation of a \u201crenewed Palestinian Authority\u201d, under which France would open an embassy, subject to factors such as reforms, a ceasefire and the release of all remaining captives held in Gaza.<\/p>\n
The framework also envisages an International Stabilisation Force (ISF) that would assist in preparing the Palestinian Authority (PA) to take over governance in Gaza.<\/p>\n
The PA hailed the French move as a \u201chistoric and courageous decision\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates welcomes the recognition of the State of Palestine by the friendly Republic of France, considering it a historic and courageous decision that is consistent with international law and United Nations resolutions and supports ongoing efforts to achieve peace and implement the two-state solution,\u201d the PA\u2019s Foreign Ministry in Ramallah said in a statement.<\/p>\n
Israel and the United States, which are becoming increasingly isolated on the issue, have boycotted the summit, with Israel\u2019s UN ambassador, Danny Danon, describing the event as a \u201ccircus\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u2018A right, not a reward\u2019<\/p>\n
Speaking at the conference, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reiterated his support for the two-state solution, framing it as the only viable path towards peace after years of failed negotiations and ongoing violations on the ground.<\/p>\n
Guterres said that statehood for Palestinians \u201cis a right, not a reward\u201d, rejecting US and Israeli claims that it was a reward for Hamas.<\/p>\n
Saudi Arabia\u2019s foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, thanked Macron and the UN chief for their efforts towards a two-state solution, which he said is \u201cthe only way to achieve just and lasting peace\u201d.<\/p>\n
He said the conference, co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France, comes at a time when \u201cthe Israeli occupation authorities continue their aggression and their brutal crimes\u201d against Palestinians in Gaza, and Israel continues its \u201cviolations in the West Bank, and its repeated attacks on Arab and Muslim countries, with the most recent attack on Qatar\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese actions underline Israel\u2019s insistence on continuing aggressive practices that threaten regional and international peace and stability and undermine efforts of peace in the region,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The US, Israel\u2019s closest ally, has criticised Western governments\u2019 recent recognition of Palestine, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier saying that the move will \u201cembolden [Hamas]\u201d and make it harder to end the war.<\/p>\n
\u2018A momentum building up\u2019<\/p>\n
Sultan Barakat, a professor at Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Qatar, said that Palestinian recognition goes beyond symbolism, and represents \u201csome real, practical support to the cause of Palestine\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is another crack added to the issue of the Israel-Palestine conflict, and we should just keep going.\u201d<\/p>\n
Palestine is expected to top the agenda of the UNGA, to be attended by more than 140 world leaders. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, however, will not be able to attend, as the US has denied him a visa.<\/p>\n
In his address to Monday\u2019s conference via videolink, Abbas called for an immediate ceasefire and the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, where a famine has been declared by an international monitor and more than 400 people have starved to death since Israel imposed its punishing blockade in September 2023.<\/p>\n
Reporting from UN headquarters in New York, Al Jazeera\u2019s Hashem Ahelbarra said that there is a momentum building for UN leaders to discuss a two-state solution, which envisions a sovereign Palestinian state living side by side with Israel.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe only problem they face is that establishing a viable Palestinian state is something that requires a nod from the US administration, which does not seem to be willing to go down that path,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor many European leaders, this is not a symbolic gesture, but an attempt to try and push for a new political order to prevail in the near future. They say they have leverage that they are ultimately going to use to put an end to the war in Gaza,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
On Monday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that US President Donald Trump believes the recent recognition of the state of Palestine by several Western countries \u201cis a reward to Hamas\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe president has been very clear; he disagrees with this decision. He spoke about that in the UK\u2026 He feels this does not do anything to release the hostages, which is the primary goal right now in Gaza; does nothing to end this conflict and bring this war to a close\u2026 he believes it is a reward to Hamas,\u201d she said, highlighting that more than 40 Israeli captives are still being held in Gaza.<\/p>\n