Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
FRENCH PRESIDENT EMMANUEL Macron has confirmed that France will formally recognise the State of Palestine.
It comes amid mounting international anger an condemnation over the widespread hunger of the population of Gaza, with aid organisations warning of “mass starvation” and leaders urging Israel to allow more aid to enter the region.
In a statement shared on social media, Macron said he will make the formal announcement at the UN General Assembly in September.
“Consistent 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,” he said.
The French head of state also shared a letter he has written to Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas informing him of his intention.
“The urgent priority today is to end the war in Gaza and to bring relief to the civilian population,” Macron said.
Consistent 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.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) July 24, 2025
I will make this solemn announcement before the United Nations General Assembly this coming September.… pic.twitter.com/VTSVGVH41I
“The French people want peace in the Middle East. It is up to us, the French, together with the Israelis, the Palestinians, and our European and international partners, to demonstrate that it is possible.”
Hussein al-Sheikh, the deputy to the Palestinian president, welcomed the announcement and thanked Macron.
“This position reflects France’s commitment to international law and its support for the Palestinian people’s rights to self-determination and the establishment of our independent state,” Sheikh said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the decision “rewards terror” and posed an existential threat, providing a “launch pad to annihilate” Israel.
Tánaiste and Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Harris hailed Macron’s announcement as “an important contribution towards implementing the two State solution, which offers the only lasting basis for peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians alike”.
Macron offered support for Israel after the 7 October 2023 Hamas attacks and frequently speaks out against antisemitism, but he has grown increasingly frustrated with Israel’s blocking of aid to Palestinians in the territory.
He reiterated France’s “determination” to recognise a Palestinian state “under any circumstances” in June, and he has pushed for a broader movement toward a two-state solution
France’s foreign minister is co-hosting a conference at the UN next week about a two-state solution.
France is the biggest and most powerful European country to recognise Palestine. More than 140 countries recognise a Palestinian state, including including Ireland, doing so last May.
Spain and Sweden also recognise the state, but Germany, while backing a two-state solution, has said recognition now would send the “wrong signal”.
France has reportedly been working closely on the issue with the UK, which also so far has not recognised a Palestinian state, at a time when French-British diplomatic ties are becoming increasingly tight after Brexit.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said he will hold emergency talks with France and Germany on Gaza tomorrow, as he condemned the “suffering and starvation” unfolding there as “unspeakable and indefensible”.
Starmer said the situation has been “grave” for some time but has “reached new depths”.
The Labour leader is also under increasing pressure to fulfil Labour’s promise to recognise Palestine as a state.
“We are witnessing a humanitarian catastrophe,” Starmer said.
“I will hold an emergency call with E3 partners tomorrow, where we will discuss what we can do urgently to stop the killing and get people the food they desperately need, while pulling together all the steps necessary to build a lasting peace.
“We all agree on the pressing need for Israel to change course and allow the aid that is desperately needed to enter Gaza without delay.”
With reporting from Press Association
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say