France will formally recognise Palestine as a state at the United Nations General Assembly in September, President Emmanuel Macron announced on Thursday, marking a significant diplomatic shift as the Gaza war enters its twenty-first month with a mounting humanitarian crisis.
The French president declared his decision on social media platform X, stating that “the urgent thing today is that the war in Gaza stops and the civilian population is saved.” Macron said he would “solemnly announce” the recognition at the UN gathering, joining more than 140 countries that already recognise Palestinian statehood.
“In keeping with its historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, I have decided that France will recognize the State of Palestine,” Macron wrote, positioning France to become the first major Western power to take this step.
The announcement comes as the death toll in Gaza has surpassed 59,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, with humanitarian organisations warning the actual figure could be significantly higher due to bodies trapped under rubble and deaths from preventable diseases and malnutrition.
France’s decision follows months of diplomatic manoeuvring, with Macron initially suggesting in April that recognition could come as early as June at a UN conference co-hosted with Saudi Arabia. The French president had told France 5 television: “We must move toward recognition, and so, in the coming months, we will move towards that.”
International Momentum Building
The French announcement adds to growing international momentum for Palestinian recognition, with 147 of 193 UN member states already acknowledging Palestinian statehood. In the past year alone, ten countries have joined this group, including Spain, Ireland, Norway, Slovenia, Mexico, Armenia, the Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and Barbados.
There is no alternative,” Macron stated in a letter to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, stressing that building a Palestinian state requires international collaboration whilst ensuring “its demilitarisation and fully recognising Israel.
Among European Union members, twelve countries now recognise Palestine, including Sweden, which became the first Western European nation to do so in 2014, and Cyprus, Hungary, Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria, which recognised Palestine shortly after its 1988 declaration of independence.
Israeli Opposition and Regional Tensions
Israel has yet to issue an official response to Macron’s announcement, though the Israeli Foreign Ministry had no immediate comment when approached by international media. However, Israeli officials have consistently opposed unilateral recognition of Palestinian statehood.
In April, when Macron first hinted at the move, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar condemned the idea as a “boost for Hamas” and warned that such actions “will not bring peace, security and stability in our region closer – but the opposite: they only push them further away.
The announcement comes amid intensifying international pressure on Israel over the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. Earlier this week, 28 countries, including the United Kingdom, Japan and numerous European nations, issued a joint statement declaring that “the war in Gaza must end now.
Humanitarian Crisis Deepens
The timing of France’s announcement coincides with what humanitarian organisations describe as unprecedented suffering in Gaza. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, over 1.9 million people – approximately 90 per cent of Gaza’s population – have been displaced, many multiple times.
The suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths,” the joint statement from 28 countries noted, criticising Israel’s aid delivery model as “dangerous” and calling it a violation of international humanitarian law.
Australian nurse Christy Black, volunteering in Gaza City, described desperate conditions: “We’re seeing children going through the rubbish trying to find something to eat… Children who might be nine or 10 years old that look like two-year-olds.”
Diplomatic Calculations
France’s move represents a calculated diplomatic gambit, coming as the country co-hosts a major UN conference on Monday with Saudi Arabia focused on advancing a two-state solution. French Foreign Minister’s adviser Ofer Bronchtein explained the strategy: “Not only we didn’t move forward, but we are moving backward. We are proposing, first of all, recognition and then negotiations, and not the opposite.”
The French decision could influence other major European powers, with Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta, Croatia and Greece reportedly considering similar moves. However, key Western nations including the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Canada and Australia continue to withhold recognition, maintaining that Palestinian statehood should emerge from direct negotiations with Israel.
Palestinian Authority Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Varsen Aghabekian Shahin welcomed the French announcement as “a step in the right direction in line with safeguarding the rights of the Palestinian people and the two-state solution.
Historical Context and Future Implications
Palestine declared independence in 1988, with the Palestine Liberation Organisation claiming sovereignty over the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip. The territory has held non-member observer state status at the UN since 2012, following a General Assembly vote of 138 in favour, 9 against, and 41 abstentions.
The International Court of Justice issued an advisory opinion in July finding Israel’s presence in the occupied Palestinian territory unlawful and calling for evacuation of all settlements. Meanwhile, the International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
France’s recognition could mark a turning point in European policy towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. As one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and a leading EU member state, France’s position carries significant diplomatic weight.
The September UN General Assembly will now become a crucial diplomatic battleground, with France’s formal recognition potentially encouraging other nations to follow suit. Whether this diplomatic momentum can translate into concrete progress towards ending the Gaza war and advancing a two-state solution remains to be seen.
As the humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues to deepen and international condemnation of Israel’s military campaign intensifies, France’s decision reflects growing impatience with the status quo and a willingness to challenge traditional Western approaches to the conflict.
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Image Credit:
Emmanuel Macron – June 2025 – Photo by Présidence de la République française, licensed under CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
