French President Emmanuel Macron has announced that the recognition of a Palestinian state is no longer a taboo for France, suggesting that Paris could make this decision if efforts for a two-state solution stalled due to Israeli opposition.
Macron’s comments come amidst international frustration with Israel’s actions in the Palestinian territories and as a response to Israel’s massive aerial and ground offensive in Gaza, which has resulted in the deaths of more than 28,000 Palestinians and left most of its 2.3 million people homeless.
Macron’s statement is aimed at adding pressure on Israel and is part of France’s long-standing support for a two-state solution in the Middle East.
Macron emphasized that France owes it to the Palestinians, whose aspirations have been trampled on for too long, and to the Israelis, who have lived through the greatest antisemitic massacre of their century.
While most developing countries recognize Palestine as a state, most Western European countries do not, arguing that an independent Palestinian state should emerge from negotiations with Israel 1 . Macron’s comments are likely to be seen as a response to Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s opposition to Palestinian sovereignty.
Macron’s statement is not a unilateral decision, and France is unlikely to take such a decision without true negotiations. However, France holds important diplomatic weight as one of just five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council.
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