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.

US President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office, on the day he signs executive orders, at the White House in Washington, DC, March 6, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

As the Trump administration prepares for negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program this weekend, the US House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday moved forward legislation that would impose more sanctions on those who collaborate with Tehran and its terrorist proxy groups.

The committee approved by a voice vote the Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act, legislation spearheaded by Reps. Mike Lawler (R-NY) and Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL) that would impose penalties on those who export, sell, or process Iranian petrochemical products.

“My bill before us today … will give the Trump administration the tools it needs to end the Iranian oil trade once and for all,” Lawler said. “Without these enablers, the regime’s oil operation will collapse, and that’s what we’re counting on.”

Meanwhile, the Foreign Affairs Committee, by a 45-6 margin, also voted to advance the No Paydays for Hostage-Takers Act, bipartisan legislation which seeks to issue penalties toward individuals who assist Iran in taking Americans hostage. The legislation, if passed, would prohibit those who have received federal terrorism and weapons of mass destruction sanctions from entering the United States. 

Additionally, the legislation would mandate that the administration investigate and perhaps sanction any individual involved in the kidnapping and detention of American citizens.

Moreover, the bill would direct the secretary of state to decide whether to prohibit US passport holders from traveling to Iran due to the kidnappings of certain American nationals there.

The Sanction Sea Pirates Act, led by Rep. Jonathan Jackson (D-IL), was approved alongside the other bills in a bipartisan package. The legislation would penalize any person who “knowingly engages in piracy” with consequences, which include freezing their assets and banning them from traveling to the US. The bill was primarily advanced to target the Iran-backed Houthis, a US-designated terrorist organization that has disrupted international shipping from Yemen.

The movement in Congress comes as negotiations between the United States and Iran are scheduled to commence this Saturday in Oman. The Trump administration is attempting to curb Iran’s nuclear program, which Western countries believe is ultimately geared toward developing nuclear weapons, and has threatened “great danger” if an agreement cannot be reached. Tehran claims its nuclear program is only meant for civilian energy purposes.

Trump did not elaborate on the specifics of the schedule, but he did tell reporters from the Oval Office on Wednesday that he had a deadline in mind for when the negotiations must result in a solution that is acceptable.

“We have a little time, but we don’t have much time, because we’re not going to let them have a nuclear weapon. We can’t let them have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said of Iran. “I’m not asking for much. I just — I don’t — they can’t have a nuclear weapon.”

Iran’s leaders have challenged Trump’s claim that the discussions will be “direct” negotiations, calling them “indirect.”

Trump said that he “absolutely” would support military operations targeting Iran’s nuclear program if the US cannot strike an agreement with Tehran. The US president added that Israel would “obviously be very much involved” in any military efforts to dismantle Iran’s nuclear sites. 

“If it requires military, we’re going to have military,” the president said. “Israel will obviously be very much involved in that.”

The post US Congress Advances Legislation to Punish Iran, Collaborators as Trump Admin Gears Up for Nuclear Talks first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

Ben Soffer and Noa Tishby holding up plates of kosher-for-Passover BBQ potato chip-crusted chicken with pickled coleslaw and ranch dressing. Photo: YouTube screenshot

Israeli actress, author, and activist Noa Tishby released a mini cookbook for Passover on Wednesday that features seven recipes from Jewish chefs and social media food influencers ahead of the Jewish holiday that begins this weekend.

Tishby’s cookbook includes recipes for breakfast foods, soups, main dishes, snacks, and desserts. The two-time New York Times best-selling author, who is also Israel’s former special envoy for combating antisemitism, teamed up with Jewish foodies who include cookbook authors Jake Cohen and Eitan Bernath, celebrity private chef Brooke Baevsky, who goes by the Instagram handle Chef Bae, and recipe developer Sivan from Sivan’s Kitchen.

Ben Soffer, better known by his social media handle BoyWithNoJob, shares the recipe for his barbecue potato chip-crusted chicken with pickled coleslaw and homemade ranch dressing, while chef, cookbook author, and restauranteur Beejhy Barhany gives step-by-step directions of how to make Ethiopian, gluten-free matzah. Writer and producer-turned-food-traveler Phil Rosenthal, from the Netflix docuseries “Somebody Feed Phil,” also joins Tishby and her sister as the three of them make Tishby’s “favorite childhood matzah cake.”

Tishby is privately messaging Instagram users a link for the free Passover cookbook after they comment “Passover” on her posts about the various recipes. She filmed videos with each recipe developer, as they cooked together dishes from the book, and she is now sharing those clips on her Instagram page and YouTube. She posted on Thursday a video of her cooking with Soffer, and he talks about a childhood memory of never finding the afikomen on Passover, as well as what he loves the most about the Jewish holiday.

The post Noa Tishby Releases Free Passover Cookbook in Collaboration With Jewish Chefs, Social Media Food Influencers first appeared on Algemeiner.com.