{"id":446141,"date":"2025-09-23T15:30:19","date_gmt":"2025-09-23T15:30:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/446141\/"},"modified":"2025-09-23T15:30:19","modified_gmt":"2025-09-23T15:30:19","slug":"watch-macron-stopped-by-nypd-hours-after-france-recognized-palestinian-statehood-clear-the-way","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/446141\/","title":{"rendered":"Watch | Macron stopped by NYPD hours after France recognized Palestinian statehood: \u2018Clear the way\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

French President Emmanuel Macron<\/a> faced an unusual moment in New York<\/a> on Monday night, September 22, when his official convoy was forced to stop outside the United Nations<\/a> headquarters by the NYPD.<\/p>\n

\"Emmanuel Emmanuel Macron\u2019s convoy was stopped in Manhattan after France recognized Palestine.(AFP) <\/p>\n

The French President had just finished speaking at the UN General Assembly, where he announced France\u2019s formal recognition of Palestine as a state. As his convoy began moving toward the French Embassy on 934 Fifth Avenue, NYPD officers halted the motorcade. The reason wasn\u2019t protests or security alerts; it was Donald Trump’s motorcade.<\/p>\n

NYPD blocks Macron\u2019s convoy<\/p>\n

In a video that has since gone viral, Macron briefly stepped out of his car after police ordered the vehicles to stop. An NYPD officer approached him, explaining the blockade. \u201cI am sorry, Mr. President, I am really sorry. Everything is blocked at the moment,\u201d the officer said, pointing toward Donald Trump\u2019s motorcade cutting across Midtown.<\/p>\n

The French leader took the moment lightly. He pulled out his phone, called Trump, and quipped: \u201cHow are you? Guess what, I\u2019m waiting in the street right now because everything is blocked for you. Clear the way.\u201d Trump\u2019s reply has not been disclosed. The traffic was gridlocked for several minutes as pedestrians crowded the sidewalks to watch both presidents\u2019 entourages. Eventually, Macron\u2019s team decided to walk part of the stretch, with the French president stopping for photos with people on the street.<\/p>\n

Also Read: 100 Years after pro-Israel Balfour Declaration, UK’s Palestine state speech at UN; Netanyahu stunned<\/a><\/p>\n

France backs Palestine<\/p>\n

On Monday, French President Macron joined Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta, and Andorra in recognizing Palestine as a state, a move coordinated with Saudi Arabia, the BBC reported. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was present during the announcement.<\/p>\n

France\u2019s step followed similar decisions in recent days by the UK, Canada, Australia, and Portugal. In all, 156 nations now recognize a Palestinian state.<\/p>\n

The recognition comes nearly two years after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel that killed more than 1,200 people and triggered a war. Israel\u2019s response, including sweeping military operations across Gaza and the West Bank, has drawn widespread criticism and left thousands dead.<\/p>\n

For Macron, the mix of international diplomacy and a New York traffic jam underscored both the high stakes of the UN stage and the quirks of sharing the city with the U.S. president.<\/p>\n

Also Read: \u2018Defeat for Hamas\u2019: Macron announces France’s recognition of Palestine at UN General Assembly<\/a><\/p>\n

FAQsWhy was Emmanuel Macron stopped in New York?<\/p>\n

His convoy was halted by the NYPD because Donald Trump\u2019s motorcade was passing nearby.<\/p>\n

What did Macron say during the stoppage?<\/p>\n

He joked with Trump on the phone: \u201cGuess what, I\u2019m waiting in the street right now because everything is blocked for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

What did France announce at the UN?<\/p>\n

France formally recognized the State of Palestine during the UN General Assembly on September 22, 2025.<\/p>\n

How many countries now recognize Palestine?<\/p>\n

According to UN data, 156 nations have officially recognized Palestine as a state.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"French President Emmanuel Macron faced an unusual moment in New York on Monday night, September 22, when his…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":446142,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5309],"tags":[32,2000,299,36,43718,150482,149534],"class_list":{"0":"post-446141","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-france","8":"tag-donald-trump","9":"tag-eu","10":"tag-europe","11":"tag-france","12":"tag-french-president","13":"tag-recognition-of-palestine","14":"tag-un-general-assembly"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115254331910251835","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/446141","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=446141"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/446141\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/446142"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=446141"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=446141"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=446141"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}