Overview
- France will formalize recognition at the U.N. General Assembly starting September 23, with the U.K., Canada, Australia and Malta pledging to move in tandem.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Macron of “fueling the antisemitism fire,” a charge the French leader called “abject.”
- U.S. Ambassador to France Charles Kushner warned the move would embolden extremists; France’s foreign ministry summoned him, and Washington publicly backed his comments.
- Macron linked the decision to conditions in Gaza, where Israel declared Gaza City a combat zone, a famine has been declared in the city, and the Health Ministry reports more than 63,000 Palestinians killed.
- Paris says the initiative seeks to strengthen the Palestinian Authority and marginalize Hamas, with France and Saudi Arabia citing rare Arab League condemnation of Hamas attacks as part of coordinated diplomacy; over 140 countries already recognize Palestinian statehood.