Overview

• President Macron announced on July 24 that France will formally recognize the State of Palestine at the United Nations General Assembly on September 21, making it the first G7 member to take this step.
• France will co-chair with Saudi Arabia a heads-of-state conference on relaunching the two-state solution and will hold a preparatory ministerial meeting in New York on July 28-29.
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced the recognition as “rewarding terror” and U.S. Senator Marco Rubio called it “imprudent,” highlighting strong opposition from Israel and the United States.
• Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas hailed the decision as a positive move toward self-determination, and Arab allies including Saudi Arabia and Jordan praised Paris’s announcement.
• Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said France will mobilize European and Arab partners to pressure Israel to halt new West Bank settlements, lift Gaza’s financial blockade and plan for post-war reconstruction.