While visiting Singapore, French President Emmanuel Macron renewed his calls for the formation of a Palestinian state, prompting hostile statements from the Israeli government.
After announcing the creation of 22 new settlements in the West Bank, the Israeli government went into ceasefire talks with the United States. White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt announced on Thursday evening that the American proposal for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip had been approved by the Israeli government, but dissenting voices are being heard. Itamar Ben-Gvir, the Israeli Minister of National Security called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: “The confusion, reshuffling and weakness must stop. We have already missed too many opportunities. It is time to go in with all the necessary force, without flinching, to destroy and kill Hamas completely,” he posted on his Telegram channel.
It was in this context that, during a press conference, Macron declared that the recognition of a Palestinian state was “not simply a moral duty, but a political requirement.” He then listed the conditions he considered essential for the recognition of this state: the release of hostages; the demilitarisation of Hamas; the non-participation of Hamas in the new state; and the reform of the Palestinian Authority. The French president also called for the future state to recognise Israel and “its right to live in security” and for the “creation of a security architecture throughout the region.”
He also called on the international community to harden its position towards Israel if the humanitarian situation in Gaza does not improve. At the European level, he suggested that the association agreement between the member states and Israel be reviewed and even went so far as to consider the imposition of sanctions.
Following these controversial statements, Israel’s foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar accused Macron of being “on a crusade against the Jewish state.” “Instead of putting pressure on jihadist terrorists, Macron wants to reward them by giving them a Palestinian state. There is no doubt that his national holiday will be 7 October,” he added in a statement.
In France, the Rassemblement National (RN) expressed scepticism about the solution proposed by the head of state: “Recognising the Palestinian state today means recognising a Hamas state,” said Marine Le Pen. On the Left, the La France Insoumise party stressed “the urgency of this diplomatic gesture.”
In Europe, the French president is not alone in his desire to raise the tone with Israel. Spain and Finland also condemned the announcement of new Israeli settlements in the West Bank. “The settlements in the West Bank are illegal under international law, compromise the viability of the two-state solution and constitute a threat to peace,” the Spanish Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The British government similarly stated that the new settlements were an obstacle to any peace.
France is to chair, alongside Saudi Arabia, an international conference on the so-called two-state solution, Israeli and Palestinian, to be held from June 17th to 20th at the UN in New York.
