RSS
Macron Wants to Recognize a Palestinian State? He Should Start by Recognizing 21st Century France
French President Emmanuel Macron is seen at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland. Photo: Reuters/Martial Trezzini
French President Emmanuel Macron has announced that France will recognize a Palestinian state.
Well, that makes perfect sense. After all, we’re talking about an indigenous people whose ancestral homeland was stolen by foreigners with no real connection to the region. I am, of course, referring to — France.
Surely, the cartoonists of Charlie Hebdo are turning over in their secular graves with laughter.
France’s move isn’t truly about expressing solidarity with oppressed minorities — though that’s how it plays in progressive media circles. Macron’s decision is not humanitarian, and it has nothing to do with sympathy for starving children in Gaza. Nor is it rooted in a genuine desire to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. As usual, it’s a domestic political calculation: an attempt to appease France’s growing Muslim population at the expense of its Jewish minority.
Macron knows full well that Muslims in France now vastly outnumber Jews. He’s pulling yet another rabbit out of the Élysée Palace hat: recognition of a Palestinian state. He’s naively hoping it might buy him some quiet in the streets of Marseilles and Saint-Denis.
Let’s be clear: this is not about peace in the Middle East. It’s about buying stability at home — even if it means rewarding the ideological supporters and perpetrators of October 7th.
But here’s the core fallacy: any radical Muslim elements that Macron hopes to win over with these declarative gestures aren’t interested in symbols. They want a new reality. And that reality, in some cases, is not a liberal republic. It’s an upgrade of the French state to align more closely with their religious and social values. Anyone who believes that recognizing a Palestinian state will create social harmony in France will soon discover that some areas of Paris, Lyon, and Toulouse are already informally governed by social norms rooted in Sharia law.
We’re talking about areas where women can’t walk outside in a tank top. Where pork can’t be sold. Where the Holocaust can’t be taught, and LGBTQ rights are unmentionable.
Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité? Macron recites these words beautifully on Bastille Day, but they are vanishing from some parts of the streets of France. Not all Muslims in France feel this way, of course. But there is a definite population that does. And Macron’s “recognition of Palestine” is a smokescreen to cover just that.
American Jews, who are fighting to preserve liberal Jewish life in the face of rising campus-born antisemitism disguised as “progressive justice,” must take note: what starts at the Élysée doesn’t stay in France. When leaders surrender to ideological blackmail in the name of peace, they always sacrifice the Jews first.
France — the country of Descartes, Voltaire, and Emile Zola — has become a republic that meekly removes statues, erases the legacy of the Enlightenment, and quietly bends to the sensitivities of religious extremism. And now it wants to lecture the Middle East about peace?
Perhaps it’s time France looked to its own problems first.
Itamar Tzur is the author of The Invention of the Palestinian Narrative, and an Israeli scholar specializing in Middle Eastern history. He holds a Bachelor’s degree with honors in Jewish History and a Master’s degree with honors in Middle Eastern studies. As a senior member of the “Forum Kedem for Middle Eastern Studies and Public Diplomacy,” he leverages his academic expertise to deepen understanding of regional dynamics and historical contexts.
The post Macron Wants to Recognize a Palestinian State? He Should Start by Recognizing 21st Century France first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
Israel Pounds Gaza City Suburbs, Vows to Press on with Offensive
Smoke rises following an Israeli strike, in Gaza City, August 24, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Israeli planes and tanks pounded the eastern and northern outskirts of Gaza City overnight Saturday to Sunday, destroying buildings and homes, residents said, as Israeli leaders vowed to press on with a planned offensive on the city.
Witnesses reported the sound of explosions non-stop overnight in the areas of Zeitoun and Shejaia, while tanks shelled houses and roads in the nearby Sabra neighborhood and several buildings were blown up in the northern town of Jabalia.
Fire lit the skies from the direction of the explosions, causing panic, prompting some families to stream out of the city. Others said they would prefer to die and not leave.
The Israeli military said on Sunday that its forces have returned to combat in the Jabalia area in recent days, to dismantle militant tunnels and strengthen control of the area.
It added that the operation there “enables the expansion of combat into additional areas and prevents Hamas terrorists from returning to operate in these areas.”
Israel approved a plan this month to seize control of Gaza City, describing it as the last bastion of Hamas. It is not expected to begin for a few weeks, leaving room for mediators Egypt and Qatar to try and resume ceasefire talks.
Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz on Sunday vowed to press on with the offensive on the city where famine has been declared, which has raised alarm abroad and objections at home. Katz has said that Gaza City will be razed unless Hamas agrees to end the war on Israel’s terms and release all hostages.
Hamas said in a statement on Sunday that Israel’s plan to take over Gaza City showed it wasn’t serious about a ceasefire.
It said a ceasefire agreement was “the only way to return the hostages,” holding Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responsible for their lives.
The proposal on the table calls for a 60-day ceasefire and the release of 10 living hostages held in Gaza and of 18 bodies. In turn, Israel would release about 200 long-serving Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
Once a temporary ceasefire begins, the proposal is for Hamas and Israel to begin negotiations on a permanent ceasefire that would include the return of the remaining hostages.
On Thursday, Netanyahu said that Israel would immediately resume negotiations for the release of all 50 hostages – of whom Israel believes around 20 are still living – and an end to the nearly two-year-old war but on terms acceptable to Israel.
‘HUNGRY AND AFRAID’
Around half of the enclave’s two million people currently live in Gaza City. A few thousand have already left, carrying their belongings on vehicles and rickshaws.
“I stopped counting the times I had to take my wife and three daughters and leave my home in Gaza City,” said Mohammad, 40, via a chat app. “No place is safe, but I can’t take the risk. If they suddenly begin the invasion, they will use heavy fire.”
Others said they will not leave, no matter what.
“We are not leaving, let them bomb us at home,” said Aya, 31, who has a family of eight, adding that they couldn’t afford to buy a tent or pay for the transportation, even if they did try to leave. “We are hungry, afraid and don’t have money.”
A global hunger monitor said on Friday that Gaza City and surrounding areas are officially suffering from famine that will likely spread. Israel has rejected the assessment and says it ignores steps it has taken since late July to increase aid.
The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led gunmen burst into southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mainly civilians, and taking 251 hostages.
RSS
Iran Signals Willingness to Scale Back Uranium Enrichment to Ease Tensions
Atomic symbol and USA and Iranian flags are seen in this illustration taken, September 8, 2022. Photo: REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
i24 News – Iran may be prepared to significantly reduce its uranium enrichment levels in a bid to stave off renewed UN sanctions and limit the risk of further strikes by Israel and the United States, according to a report published Sunday in The Telegraph.
Citing Iranian sources, the paper said Tehran is considering lowering enrichment from 60% to 20%.
The move is reportedly being championed by Ali Larijani, the newly appointed secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, who is holding talks with regime leaders.
“Larijani is trying to convince the system to reduce the level of enrichment in order to avoid further war,” a senior Iranian official told the paper.
The proposal, however, faces stiff resistance from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which has long opposed concessions on the nuclear program. Still, the report suggests Iran’s leadership may be open to greater flexibility, including the possibility of reviving engagement with Western powers.
Last month, i24NEWS reported exclusively that a delegation from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is expected to travel to Iran. The team of technical experts would seek to resume monitoring of nuclear sites, inspections that have been heavily restricted in recent years.
The development comes amid mounting regional tensions and could represent a critical turning point in the long-running nuclear standoff.
RSS
Major Brush Fire Erupts Near Jerusalem, Evacuations Underway
A view of the new Tel Aviv-Jerusalem fast train seen over the HaArazim Valley (“Valley of Cedars”) just outside of Jerusalem, Sept. 25, 2018. Photo: Yossi Zamir/Flash90.
i24 News – A large brush fire broke out Sunday in the Cedars Valley area, near Route 1 and the Motza interchange, prompting an emergency response from Jerusalem district fire services. Several water-bombing planes were dispatched, and authorities have declared a “fire emergency.”
As a precaution, residents of Mevaseret Zion are being evacuated. Access to the town from Route 1 has already been blocked, and officials are weighing a full closure of the major highway.
Fire crews from the Ha’uma station are on site working to contain the flames, while motorists in the area are urged to heed traffic updates and follow instructions from emergency services.
Eight firefighting aircraft are currently operating above the blaze in support of ground teams. The fire comes amid one of the hottest, driest summers on record, with conditions fueling a series of destructive wildfires across the country.
Officials warn the situation remains critical, as the blaze threatens a vital transportation corridor leading into Jerusalem.