France will officially recognise a Palestinian state in September, President Emmanuel Macron has said.
In a post on X, Macron said the formal announcement would be made at a session of the UN General Assembly in New York.
“The urgent need today is for the war in Gaza to end and for the civilian population to be rescued. Peace is possible. We need an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, and massive humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza,” he wrote.
Palestinian officials welcomed Macron’s move, while Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz described it as a “disgrace and a capitulation to terrorism”.
In his Thursday’s post on X, Macron wrote: “True to its historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, I have decided that France will recognise the State of Palestine.
“We must also guarantee the demilitarisation of Hamas, and secure and rebuild Gaza.
“Finally, we must build the State of Palestine, ensure its viability, and ensure that by accepting its demilitarisation and fully recognising Israel, it contributes to the security of all in the Middle East. There is no alternative.”
Macron also attached a letter to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas confirming his decision.
Reacting to Macron’s announcement, Abbas’ deputy Hussein al-Sheikh said “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”, according to the AFP news agency.
Meanwhile, Katz condemned the French decision, saying it was a “reward and a back-up for the Hamas murderers and abettors, who committed the worst massacre of the Jewish people since the Holocaust”.
Currently, the State of Palestine is recognised by more than 140 of the 193 member states of the UN.
A few European Union countries, including Spain, are among them.
But Israel’s main supporter, the US, and its allies including the UK have not recognised a Palestinian state.
Israel argues that recognition of an independent Palestinian state in the wake of Hamas’s 7 October 2023 in Israel “rewards terrorism”.
The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the attack on southern Israel, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.
At least 59,106 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s health ministry.
Much of Gaza has been reduced to rubble since then.
Earlier on Thursday, the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency (Unrwa) said that one in five children in Gaza City was now malnourished and cases were increasing every day.
More than 100 international aid organisations and human rights groups have also warned of mass starvation in the Gaza Strip – pressing for governments to take action.
Israel, which controls the entry of all supplies into the Palestinian territory, has repeatedly said that there is no siege, blaming Hamas for any cases of malnutrition.
In a statement, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer condemned the “unspeakable and indefensible” humanitarian conditions in Gaza.
He said the situation had been “grave for some time” but it has “reached new depths”.
“We are witnessing a humanitarian catastrophe,” Sir Keir added.
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