France recognizes Palestinian state at UN
NEW YORK
French President Emmanuel Macron on Sept. 22 recognized a Palestinian state, leading a UN summit that already spurred other Western governments to take the landmark step that has infuriated Israel.
"The time for peace has come, as we are just moments away from no longer being able to seize it," Macron told the summit.
"The time has come to free the 48 hostages held by Hamas. The time has come to stop the war, the bombings of Gaza, the massacres and the displacement," Macron said.
The Palestinian Authority on Monday hailed the formal recognition of a Palestinian state by Macron as a "historic and courageous decision."
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates welcomes the recognition of the State of Palestine by the friendly Republic of France, considering it a historic and courageous decision that is consistent with international law and United Nations resolutions and supports ongoing efforts to achieve peace and implement the two-state solution," the PA's foreign ministry in Ramallah said in a statement.
Macron reiterated that Paris will not open an embassy until a ceasefire in Gaza and release of all hostages.
"I may be able to decide to establish an embassy in the State of Palestine once all the hostages held in Gaza are freed and a ceasefire is in place," Macron said.
Australia, Britain, Canada and Portugal also took the largely symbolic step of recognition on the eve of the summit called by France and Saudi Arabia, piling pressure on Israel as it intensifies its retaliatory war in Gaza that has killed tens of thousands of people.
Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan called Monday for all countries to follow a slew of Western countries and recognize a Palestinian state.
"We call on all other countries to take a similar historic step that will have a great impact on supporting the efforts towards implementation of the two-state solution," he said at a UN conference.
Israel has repeatedly warned France against recognizing a Palestinian state, with far-right members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government mulling annexation of the West Bank to make any state impossible.
Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, warned, "We will take action."
"It's easier to come here and give speeches, take pictures, feel like they are doing something. But they are not promoting peace. They are supporting terrorism," he told reporters.
The United States, Israel's crucial diplomatic and military supporter, had unsuccessfully urged its allies to drop the recognition plans, with President Donald Trump saying that a state can only come through negotiations.
"Frankly, he believes it's a reward to Hamas," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said of recognizing a Palestinian state.
"So he believes these decisions are just more talk and not enough action from some of our friends and allies," she told reporters in Washington.
Germany, while more critical than Washington of Israel's actions in Gaza, also broke with France and Britain and will not recognize a Palestinian state.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said that "a negotiated two-state solution is the path that can allow Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace, security and dignity."
More than 140 world leaders will descend on New York but not Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, who was denied a visa by the US authorities, forcing him to attend virtually.
Abbas called Monday for Hamas to surrender its weapons to his forces while condemning the group's deadly attack on Israel in an address to a UN summit on a two-state solution.
"Hamas will have no role in governing (Gaza). Hamas and other factions must surrender their weapons to the Palestinian Authority," he said via video link.
"We also condemn the killing and detention of civilians, including Hamas actions on October 7, 2023."
Israel said it would skip an emergency UN Security Council meeting on Gaza Tuesday because of the Jewish New Year, calling the timing "regrettable."
Netanyahu reiterated Sunday his position that there would be no Palestinian state and vowed to accelerate the creation of new settlements.
Two far-right Israeli ministers, Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, went further, calling for the annexation of the West Bank.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told AFP Friday "we should not feel intimidated by the risk of retaliation."
Macron had voiced exasperation at Israel's prolonged offensive as he decided to recognize a Palestinian state.
Britain, which more than a century ago declared support for a Jewish homeland, held out the possibility of backing down on recognition of a Palestinian state if Israel agreed on a ceasefire in Gaza.
But the historic step also is unlikely to have much effect on the ground.
"Unless backed up by concrete measures, recognizing Palestine as a state risks becoming a distraction from the reality, which is an accelerating erasure of Palestinian life in their homeland," said the International Crisis Group's Israel-Palestine project director, Max Rodenbeck.
The Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,219 Israelis, mostly civilians, according to official data.
Israeli military operations since then have killed 65,062 Palestinians, mostly civilians, says the Hamas-run health ministry, figures the UN considers reliable.
