Overview
- Nearly two dozen municipalities flew Palestinian flags on Monday despite an Interior Ministry directive instructing prefects to challenge such displays in court.
- President Emmanuel Macron is set to announce France’s recognition of a Palestinian state on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York.
- Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau reaffirmed that only the French tricolor belongs on town halls and told prefects to seek administrative rulings, which cannot compel police to remove flags.
- Left-wing leaders, including Socialist chief Olivier Faure, urged mayors to participate, while some towns cited precedent for symbolic displays; one southwestern mayor removed a flag after a court referral.
- Paris projected Israeli and Palestinian flags with a peace symbol onto the Eiffel Tower, and the weekend saw the UK, Canada and Australia formally recognize a Palestinian state, adding momentum to the diplomatic push.