French President Emmanuel Macron has announced on X (formerly Twitter) that France will formally recognise a Palestinian state this September. This makes France the first permanent member of the UN Security Council and the first G7 nation to take this step. The decision has undoubtedly caught many off guard.
A CNN analysis says that while France’s recognition had been quietly expected for some time, few thought Macron would make the decision alone or announce it this way. But the decision sends a clear signal, which is that France wants action on the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
The CNN report details two things that Macron’s decision points out to. Let’s take a look:
A response to humanitarian crisis in Gaza
At the heart of Macron’s move is the severe and ongoing suffering in Gaza. Since May, over a thousand people have died while trying to find scrapes of food. Dozens more have died due to starvation, the report said. The situation has become so dire that the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, described people in Gaza as looking like “walking corpses.”
As images of starving children and skeletal adults make headlines across Europe, Macron seems to believe the time for action has come. “I’d rather lead than wait,” said a senior official from Macron’s office, adding that other countries are likely to follow France’s decision in September.
So far, countries like Spain, Norway, and Ireland have recognised Palestine, but France’s move as a global power puts new pressure on other major Western nations, including the UK and Germany, to act.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the decision “reckless,” claiming it would only help Hamas and damage chances for peace. Israel has also condemned the move, with Prime Minister Netanyahu calling it a “reward for terror.”
Macron sides with history
Macron’s announcement, CNN says, also shows how France is growing impatient with the global status quo on the Israel-Palestine conflict. The international summit in June was expected to bring joint recognition efforts. But with the Israel-Iran conflict, the summit was cancelled. Macron has now decided to go ahead with his decision anyway, possibly hoping others will follow his lead by September.
Historically speaking, France has always supported the Palestinian cause. The French Parliament had called for recognition in 2014. France also backed a failed UN Security Council vote in 2017 to support Palestinian statehood.
Domestically, Macron’s move is unlikely to face any backlash. France has long supported a two-state solution based on 1967 borders, and the public is sympathetic toward Palestinian suffering, especially as the Gaza death toll continues to rise.
