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Israeli, French Jewish Leaders Slam Macron for Saying France Could Recognize Palestinian State in June
French President Emmanuel Macron speaks during a press conference in Paris, France, June 12, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Stephane Mahe
Israeli and French Jewish leaders sharply criticized French President Emmanuel Macron for saying that France is making plans to recognize a Palestinian state and could do so as early as June.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar condemned France’s announcement, stating that such a move would only reward terrorism.
“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,” Saar wrote in a post on X, referring to the Palestinian terrorist group that has ruled Gaza for nearly two decades.
“These kinds of actions will not bring peace, security, and stability in our region closer — but the opposite: they only push them further away,” Israel’s top diplomat added.
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
On Wednesday, Macron revealed that France could recognize a Palestinian state within the next two months at a United Nations conference in June, co-hosted by France and Saudi Arabia, focused on a two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, while suggesting that other nations may join the effort.
“We must take the path of recognition [of the Palestinian state],” Macron told France 5 television. “So that’s what we’re gonna do in the coming months.”
He continued, “Our aim is to chair this conference with Saudi Arabia in June, where we could finalize this movement of mutual recognition [of a Palestinian state] by several parties.”
During the interview, Macron stated that recognizing a Palestinian state would allow France “to be clear in our fight against those who deny Israel’s right to exist — which is the case with Iran — and to commit ourselves to collective security in the region.”
“I won’t do it for unity or in order to please someone. I’ll do it because I think that at some point it would be fair,” the French leader said. “And also, because I want to take part in a collective dynamic, one that allows everyone who defends Palestine to also recognize Israel.”
Macron’s comments came after he traveled earlier this week to Cairo for talks with Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi and Jordan’s King Abdullah II at a trilateral summit focused on the situation in Gaza and other regional developments.
Beyond Israel, the Jewish community in France also lambasted Macron for his comments.
The Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (CRIF), the main representative body of French Jews, also condemned Macron’s decision, stating that “the path to a just and lasting peace begins with the unconditional release of hostages and the surrender of Hamas.”
“Announcing today that France will soon recognize a Palestinian state while 59 hostages are still held in Gaza allows Hamas to claim an unacceptable political victory,” CRIF wrote in a post on X.
“How can we consider recognizing a state when part of its territory is controlled by a terrorist organization? The current war began with the massacre of over 1,200 people, including 50 French citizens, on Oct. 7, 2023, which you [President Macron] described as ‘the largest antisemitic massacre of the 21st century,’” the post read.
“Supporting the Palestinian people means, first and foremost, freeing them from Hamas, which has led the civilian population into the tragic misery of war,” CRIF continued. “The conditions are not yet in place to recognize a Palestinian state.”
Monsieur le Président de la République,
Annoncer aujourd’hui que la France reconnaîtra prochainement un Etat palestinien alors que 59 otages sont encore retenus à Gaza, c’est permettre au Hamas de clamer une inacceptable victoire politique.
Comment peut-on envisager reconnaître…
— CRIF (@Le_CRIF) April 10, 2025
Hamas welcomed Macron’s comments as a positive development.
“We welcome the statements made by French President Emmanuel Macron regarding his country’s readiness to recognize the State of Palestine,” Hamas official Mahmud Mardawi told AFP. He added that the announcement was “an important step that, if implemented, would constitute a positive shift in the international position towards the legitimate national rights of our Palestinian people.”
Last year, Spain, Norway, Ireland, and Slovenia recognized a Palestinian state, claiming that such a move would contribute to fostering a two-state solution and promote lasting peace in the region.
At the time, Israel condemned the decision as an “incitement to genocide” against the Jewish people. France said that “the conditions have yet been met for this decision to have a real impact on this process,” indicating support for such a move at a later date.
Out of the 27 total European Union member states, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Sweden have also recognized a Palestinian state.
Meanwhile, Germany, Portugal, and the UK have all stated that the time is not right for recognizing a Palestinian state.
The post Israeli, French Jewish Leaders Slam Macron for Saying France Could Recognize Palestinian State in June first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.