NEW YORK, (The Palestinian Information Center) French President Emmanuel Macron has officially announced that France now recognizes the State of Palestine. The declaration came during a speech he delivered at the high-level international conference for a peaceful resolution to the Palestinian issue and the implementation of the two-state solution, which kicked off Monday evening in New York.
President Macron stated, “We can no longer wait to recognize the State of Palestine,” adding, “We all share a collective responsibility for our failure thus far to build a just peace in the Middle East.”
He stressed that the long-promised creation of an Arab state in Palestine has yet to materialize and emphasized the obligation to pave a path to peace and to do everything possible to preserve the viability of the two-state solution.
Macron also criticized Israel’s ongoing military operations in Gaza, which it claims are aimed at eliminating Hamas, stating that “the lives of thousands in Gaza are being destroyed.” He added, “There is no justification for what’s happening in Gaza. The war must end to save lives.”
While expressing sympathy for the Israeli people, Macron called for the unconditional release of captives held by Hamas.
For his part, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud described the two-state solution conference as a historic opportunity for peace.
He condemned Israel’s ongoing atrocities in Gaza and its violations in the West Bank and Jerusalem, calling on other nations to take the historic step of recognizing the State of Palestine.
The international conference—co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France—opened Monday evening in New York, amid a wave of recognitions of the Palestinian state. Scotland welcomed the move as important but insufficient, while the U.S. rejected it.
The summit, held on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, is expected to include official recognition of Palestine by 10 additional countries. This follows recent similar announcements by the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and Portugal.
