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France to recognise Palestine. Macron’s move angers Israel and US
Date:
July 26, 2025
President Emmanuel Macron has announced that France will officially recognise the state of Palestine at the United Nations General Assembly in September. The declaration makes France the first major Western nation to take this step. Macron wrote to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, pledging to rally international support.
The move triggered immediate backlash from Israel and the US. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it “a reward for terror” and warned that a Palestinian state would become “a launch pad to annihilate Israel.” Defence Minister Katz called the move “a disgrace and surrender to terrorism.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the move as “reckless,” claiming it was “a slap in the face to the victims of October 7” and would only fuel Hamas propaganda.
France, home to Europe’s largest Jewish and Muslim communities, is now breaking ranks with the traditional Western consensus. Macron said the recognition is meant to “revive the two-state solution” and provide a diplomatic boost ahead of a planned international conference on Palestine in New York.
Meanwhile, Canada accused Israel of violating international law and blocking humanitarian aid to Gaza. Israeli officials have warned that recognition could lead to a downgrade in intelligence cooperation with Paris and even new annexations in the West Bank.
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