Emmanuel Macron has announced France’s official recognition of the State of Palestine, setting out a plan for a UN-mandated international stabilisation force in postwar Gaza. The French president made the declaration during a speech at a special UN General Assembly summit on Monday evening, drawing cheers and standing ovations from some attendees, though the session was boycotted by the United States and dismissed by Israeli officials.
“The time has come to end the war in Gaza, the massacres and the death,” Macron said. “The time has come to do justice for the Palestinian people and thus to recognise the State of Palestine in Gaza, the West Bank and Jerusalem.” Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez backed the move, calling for Palestine to become a full UN member. Monaco, Belgium, Andorra, Malta and Luxembourg also recognised Palestine on the same night, bringing the total number of recognitions to three-quarters of UN membership.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said statehood was a “right, not a reward” for Palestinians, while condemning the 7 October Hamas attacks and the subsequent collective punishment. Israel’s UN ambassador, Danny Danon, derided the session as an “embarrassing political circus”. The US warned allies that recognition could trigger a “reciprocal” Israeli response, including possible annexation of the West Bank.
France’s proposal includes a UN-mandated force to provide security in Gaza, oversee the disarmament of Hamas, and help train a Palestinian Authority police force. The Arab League has already declared that Hamas must play no further role in governance, with power to be handed to a newly elected PA. Meanwhile, Arab and Muslim leaders are set to meet US President Donald Trump in New York to discuss their separate stabilisation plan.
The diplomatic developments unfolded as Israel intensified its assault on Gaza City, with reports of 37 Palestinians killed across the territory on Monday. Trump is expected to deliver an aggressive speech to the UN on Tuesday, decrying “globalist institutions” and meeting leaders from Turkey, the UAE, Egypt, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
