The French president, Emmanuel Macron, stated during a May 28 trip to Germany, that he is “ready to recognize a Palestinian State,” and that in France “there is no taboo” against the move.
Macron added that he “will not do it out of emotion,” and that the recognition will come at a “useful moment.” This indicates that France will, at the minimum, wait until the end of the current conflict in Gaza, as currently emotions run high due to the war.
Macron’s position—that France is open to recognizing a Palestinian state in the future—corresponds to the views of France’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Stéphane Séjourné, who likewise commented last week that France is open to recognition of Palestine if it comes at the end of a peace process. Séjourné added that “recognition is not a diplomatic end in itself,” and that the current moment is inopportune for doing so. France would join 145 of the United Nations’ other 192 countries that recognize Palestine as a state.
Recently, three countries of the European Union—Spain, Ireland, and Norway—recognized Palestine. Israel reacted to these recognitions by recalling ambassadors from Oslo and Madrid.
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