France’s Recognition for Palestine Pushes Global Support Past 150 UN Members

France and a number of European nations have formally recognised a ‘State of Palestine’, a move described as historic but largely symbolic, as they seek to increase pressure on Israel to end the war in Gaza.

The announcement was made by French President Emmanuel Macron at the opening of the annual UN General Assembly in New York.

“France today recognises the State of Palestine,” he stated to applause, adding that the decision was made “for peace between the Israeli and Palestinian people”.

Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, and Andorra also followed suit with their own recognition at the meeting, which was held without representatives from either Israel or the United States.

While the recognition is aimed at bolstering peace efforts, Mr Macron attached a key condition: a French embassy in a future Palestinian state would only be established following the release of hostages held in Gaza.

The move comes after the UK, Canada, Australia, and Portugal had already formalised their own recognition on Sunday, 21 September. Both the US and Israel have condemned the decision.

Donald Trump, a key ally of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, believes recognition is “a reward for Hamas”, according to his spokesperson, Karoline Leavitt.

The summit, initiated by President Macron and co-chaired with Saudi Arabia, has led to a UN General Assembly text supporting a future Palestinian state while explicitly excluding the Hamas Islamist movement. This condition was a requirement from many Western nations.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, speaking via video link, committed to this, stating that Hamas would have “no role in the government” and that they and other factions must “surrender their weapons to the Palestinian Authority.” He also condemned the October 7 attacks on Israel.

With these new recognitions, at least 151 of the 193 UN member states now recognise a ‘State of Palestine’. Full membership for Palestine at the UN remains blocked by the United States.

Saudi Foreign Minister Fayçal ben Farhane urged other countries to take a “similar historic step”. However, Germany and Italy have no immediate plans for recognition.

In France, nearly one hundred left-wing-led cities have marked the recognition by flying the Palestinian flag from their town halls.

The diplomatic push comes amid concerns over potential Israeli reprisals. On Sunday, Prime Minister Netanyahu reiterated his opposition to a Palestinian state and threatened to expand settlements in the West Bank.

Two of his far-right ministers, Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, have even called for the annexation of the occupied territory.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged against being “intimidated by the risk of reprisals,” warning against the “insidious annexation of the West Bank.”

The conflict began after the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas on Israel, which killed 1,219 people, mostly civilians.

Israeli retaliatory strikes have since resulted in the deaths of 65,344 Palestinians, a majority of them civilians, in the Gaza Strip, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry.

Source: Defi Media