Erdoğan welcomes France’s move to recognize Palestine

ANKARA

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has welcomed French leader Emmanuel Macron’s announcement that Paris would recognize the state of Palestine.

A two-state solution is essential for ending the conflict between Israel and Palestine and establishing a lasting peace in the region, Erdoğan told Macron in a phone call on July 26, according to a statement from his office.

The statement said the humanitarian situation in Gaza was deteriorating and that the international community must act immediately for an urgent solution.

In a Turkish-language post on X, Macron confirmed the call and said he discussed the Gaza situation with Erdoğan. “Everything must be done for the peace and security of Israelis and Palestinians,” he wrote.

Several European Union member states have recognized Palestine since the Gaza war began in October 2023, but France is the first G7 country to do so.

Macron said on July 24 that France would formally recognize a Palestinian state during a United Nations meeting in September.

“As France prepares to recognize the State of Palestine, let us recall the recognition of the State of Israel by France on Jan. 24, 1949,” the French Foreign Ministry said in a post on X.

Referring to a historic letter from former Foreign Minister Robert Schuman, the ministry said that France’s 1949 recognition of Israel did not prejudge final borders — a principle it said applies to its stance on Palestine.

“Three-quarters of a century later, recognizing a State of Palestine is an essential step on the path to peace and regional stability,” it added.