Paris (EFE).- French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Thursday in a letter to Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), that France “will recognize the Palestine State.”
“True to France’s historical commitment to achieving a just and everlasting peace in the Middle East, I have decided that France will recognize the State of Palestine,” Macron announced on X, sharing the letter sent to the Palestinian leader.
He anticipated formalizing this recognition at the United Nations General Assembly in September.
In the letter, Macron advocated for the establishment of the State of Palestine, ensuring its viability, and enabling it to contribute to regional security by accepting demilitarization and fully recognizing Israel. “There is no alternative.”
He added that it was necessary to guarantee the demilitarization of Hamas in order to secure and rebuild Gaza.
“The French want peace in the Middle East. It is up to us, the French, the Israelis, the Palestinians, and our European and international partners, to demonstrate that it is possible,” added Macron, who said that “the urgency” at this moment is to stop the war in Gaza and attend to its civilian population.
On Thursday, Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Yariv Levin described Macron’s decision to recognize the State of Palestine as a “stain on French history” and “direct aid to terrorism.”
“The land of Israel belongs to the people of Israel, and not even President Macron’s declaration can change that,” he posted in a message on his Telegram account.
The Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, welcomed France’s decision to follow Spain in recognizing the State of Palestine.
“I welcome France’s decision to join Spain and other European countries in recognising the State of Palestine. Together, we must protect what Netanyahu is trying to destroy,” he posted on X.
Macron’s announcement came just days before the conference to promote a two-state solution to the Middle East conflict, which will take place in New York from Monday to Wednesday under the joint presidency of France and Saudi Arabia. EFE
atc/dgp/mcd