The United States and Israel have strongly condemned France’s decision to recognize a Palestinian state, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticizing the move as “reckless” and saying it “only serves Hamas propaganda and sets back peace”. Rubio’s comments came after French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France would officially recognize a Palestinian state at the UN’s General Assembly in September.
Macron said the decision was “in keeping with [France’s] historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East”. The move would make France the largest and arguably most influential country in Europe to recognize a Palestinian state. At least 142 countries out of the 193 members of the UN currently recognize or plan to recognize a Palestinian state.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the decision, saying it “rewards terror and risks creating another Iranian proxy”. “A Palestinian state in these conditions would be a launch pad to annihilate Israel – not to live in peace beside it,” he said in a post on X. Netanyahu added that “the Palestinians do not seek a state alongside Israel; they seek a state instead of Israel”. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz also described the move as “a disgrace and a surrender to terrorism”.
The US has traditionally been a strong supporter of Israel, and the current administration has shown no signs of deviating from this stance. While supporting a two-state solution remains the long-held official stance of the US, President Donald Trump has himself expressed doubts about its viability. The US will not attend an upcoming conference set to be held at the UN on the two-state solution. The conference, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, seeks to chart a roadmap to end the decades-long conflict and recognize a Palestinian state.
There is mounting pressure on Israel to end its deadly war on Gaza, waged in the wake of the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attacks on southern Israel. The war has resulted in almost 60,000 Palestinians being killed, with a further 144,000 wounded. Months-long ceasefire negotiations – brokered by the US, Egypt, and Qatar – have so far failed to yield a breakthrough. On Monday, 28 countries – including the UK, Japan, and numerous European nations – issued a joint statement telling Israel the war on Gaza “must end now”. The joint statement also condemned “the drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians, including children, seeking to meet their most basic needs of water and food”.
The recognition of a Palestinian state by France is a significant development in the ongoing conflict. It remains to be seen how this move will impact the situation on the ground and the prospects for a lasting peace. The US and Israel’s condemnation of the move suggests that the conflict is likely to continue, with no clear solution in sight.