French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that France will recognise Palestine as an independent state in September.
He added that he would make an official announcement at the UN General Assembly.
“Today, it is imperative to end the war in Gaza and save the civilian population. An immediate ceasefire must be implemented, all hostages must be released, and massive humanitarian aid must be provided to the people of Gaza. It is also necessary to ensure the demilitarisation of Hamas, the security and reconstruction of Gaza. Finally, the State of Palestine must be established, its viability ensured and, subject to its demilitarisation and full recognition of Israel, it must be allowed to contribute to the security of the entire Middle East region,” the French president said on social media X.
At the end of May 2024, the authorities of three European countries — Norway, Ireland and Spain — announced that they recognised Palestine as a state. At that time, the state of Palestine was officially recognised by 143 of the 193 UN member states, including Russia and China. The statehood of Palestine is not recognised by the US, the UK, Germany and Israel.
Fighting in Gaza resumed in October 2023. In January, Israel and the Palestinian movement Hamas concluded a temporary ceasefire, which lasted two months.
On March 18, the Israeli army struck the Gaza Strip again. Steve Witkoff proposed extending the ceasefire in exchange for the release of some hostages in the Gaza Strip. Hamas did not agree to these terms, after which the IDF continued its military operation in Palestine.
