Palestine hails France’s plan to recognise Palestinian state

Palestine today welcomed France’s plan to recognise a Palestinian state in June.

A Foreign Ministry statement called the French plan “a step in the right direction to protect the two-state solution and achieve peace.”

Welcoming the decision, Senior Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi said that “France, as a politically influential country and a permanent member of the Security Council, can influence the path toward fair solutions, push for an end to the occupation, and help realise the aspirations of the Palestinian people.”

“We consider this an important step that, if implemented, would mark a positive shift in the international stance towards our people’s legitimate national rights,” he continued.

By contrast, Israel criticised any potential recognition of a Palestinian state, with Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar writing on X: “A “unilateral recognition” of a fictional Palestinian state, by any country, in the reality that we all know, will be a prize for terror and a boost for Hamas. These kind of actions will not bring peace, security and stability in our region closer – but the opposite: they only push them further away.”

A “unilateral recognition” of a fictional Palestinian state, by any country, in the reality that we all know, will be a prize for terror and a boost for Hamas.
These kind of actions will not bring peace, security and stability in our region closer – but the opposite: they only…

— Gideon Sa’ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) April 9, 2025

French President Emmanuel Macron said yesterday that Paris is making plans to recognise a Palestinian state and could do so as early as June.

“We must move toward recognition, and we will do so in the coming months,” Macron told France 5 television. “I’m not doing it for unity, or to please this or that person. I’m doing it because at some point it will be fair.”

France plans to co-host with Saudi Arabia an international conference for a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

The Foreign Ministry called on countries that have not recognised a Palestinian state to do so and support efforts for full Palestinian membership in the UN.

Currently, 147 of the 193 UN member states recognise the state of Palestine, with Spain, Norway and Ireland being the most recent European countries to do so.

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