Monday, 25 May 2026
Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and French President Emmanuel Macron visit a ward for Palestinian patients at El Arish Hospital, close to the border with the Gaza Strip, in Arish, Egypt April 8, 2025. Ludovic Marin/Pool via REUTERS
Macron’s Gaza frustration spurs solo move on Palestinian recognition
PARIS – President Emmanuel Macron’s pledge for France to become the first Western UN Security Council member to recognise a Palestinian state this September has sent diplomatic shockwaves from the Middle East to Washington, Reuters reports. Yet, those close to him say it was anything but an impulsive decision.
Macron’s resolve was shaped during his April visit to Al-Arish, an Egyptian town bordering Gaza, where the escalating humanitarian crisis left a deep impression on him. Upon returning to Paris, he signalled that France would soon move forward with recognition.
Joining forces with Saudi Arabia, Macron crafted a strategy to have France, the UK, and Canada jointly recognise Palestinian statehood. The plan also sought to persuade Arab nations to ease their positions towards Israel at a United Nations conference. But after weeks of negotiations, Macron couldn’t secure the support of his allies.
According to three diplomats, Britain was unwilling to risk angering the United States, and Canada followed suit, leaving Macron to pursue the initiative alone.
"It became increasingly clear that waiting for others was no longer viable," a French diplomat remarked, adding that France would continue efforts to bring fellow nations on board before a September conference on a two-state solution.
Domestically, Macron faced intensifying pressure to address the crisis as public outrage grew over the harrowing images emerging from Gaza. But with France home to both Europe’s largest Muslim and Jewish populations—and divisions deepening across the political spectrum—no response could satisfy everyone.
Israel and its staunch ally, the United States, condemned France’s stance, arguing that it rewarded Hamas, the Palestinian militant faction governing Gaza, whose October 7, 2023 attack on Israel sparked the current conflict.
Macron had held detailed discussions about recognition with former President Trump and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu beforehand.
On Friday, Trump dismissed France’s decision as insignificant, though called Macron “a good guy.”
Initially, French officials contemplated making the announcement during a United Nations conference in June, co-hosted by Saudi Arabia, which aimed to outline a roadmap toward a viable Palestinian state and assure Israel’s security.
However, the conference was postponed amid significant U.S. diplomatic pressure and following Israeli airstrikes against Iran.
Macron’s announcement on Thursday now corresponds to a rescheduled and revised UN conference slated for Monday and Tuesday.
That event will proceed at ministerial level, but Paris plans to convene a second, higher-profile summit with world leaders on the margins of the UN General Assembly in September, where Macron will formally announce France’s recognition.
Some analysts believe Macron is using the prospect of recognition to prompt reforms from Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority—a moderate rival to Hamas—as well as other regional actors.
"Here, Macron serves as a catalyst—pressuring Palestinians for crucial reforms, encouraging Arab nations to support a stabilization force, and pushing for Hamas’s disarmament," said Rym Momtaz, editor-in-chief of Strategic Europe at the Carnegie Europe think tank.
Yet, others caution that recognition is largely symbolic, with little chance of establishing a functioning Palestinian state even after the war in Gaza subsides.
"France’s move reflects growing exasperation with Israel’s unyielding policies," said Amjad Iraqi, a senior analyst at International Crisis Group. "But what’s the use of recognition if it doesn’t prevent further devastation?"
French officials highlight months of heavy Israeli lobbying to dissuade Macron—along with Netanyahu’s outspoken criticism—as proof that France’s decision carries weight.
Sources familiar with the discussions say Israel’s warnings ranged from scaling back intelligence cooperation to complicating France’s regional initiatives, and even intimating at possible West Bank annexation.
Yet French officials concluded Netanyahu was likely to pursue his goals regarding the West Bank, regardless of France’s stance on recognition.
On Wednesday, Israel’s parliament approved a non-binding resolution pushing the government to extend Israeli law to the West Bank, widely seen as a step toward de facto annexation—further adding to the sense of urgency in Paris.
“If ever there was a historic moment to recognise a Palestinian state, even symbolically, that moment has surely arrived,” a senior French official declared.