Overview

• President Emmanuel Macron will formally announce recognition on Monday at a UN conference in New York co-chaired with Saudi Arabia, with several Western countries reported to be preparing similar moves.
• Macron says recognition is meant to restore a two-state pathway and insists statehood implies the dismantlement of Hamas, arguing the approach undercuts the group’s influence.
• Israel and some U.S. officials criticize the decision as rewarding extremists; Secretary of State Marco Rubio says Hamas walked away from talks after France’s announcement, a claim Macron rejected in televised interviews.
• A new IFOP survey for CRIF finds only 29% of French citizens support recognition now, as Jewish leaders denounce the move, far-right leader Marine Le Pen attacks it, and the interior minister urges town halls not to fly the Palestinian flag.
• Israeli retaliatory steps are reportedly under consideration, including accelerating West Bank annexations and closing the French consulate in Jerusalem, while France’s foreign minister says recognition will allow Paris to seek an extradition in a 1982 Paris terror case.