France Among 6 Nations Recognising Palestinian State

KABUL (Pajhwok): The leaders of six countries, including France, have moved to formally recognise the State of Palestine at a high-level summit ahead of the annual United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) meeting in New York, Al Jazeera reports.

Alongside France, which co-convened the meeting with Saudi Arabia on Monday in New York, Andorra, Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta and Monaco announced their recognition of Palestinian statehood.

Leaders from Australia, Canada, Portugal and the United Kingdom – which had formally recognised Palestine a day earlier – also addressed the meeting.

“We have gathered here because the time has come,” President Emmanuel Macron said at the summit, which was convened to revive the long-stalled two-state solution to end the Israel-Palestine conflict.

“It falls on us, this responsibility, to do everything in our power to preserve the possibility of a two-state solution,” Macron declared.“Today, I announce that France recognises the State of Palestine.”

These additional countries now join some 147 of the 193 UN member states that had already formally recognised Palestinian statehood as of April this year. With more than 80 percent of the international community now recognising Palestine, diplomatic pressure has intensified on Israel as it continues its devastating war on Gaza, where more than 65,300 Palestinians have been killed and much of the enclave reduced to rubble.

Spain, Norway and Ireland recognised Palestine last year, with Madrid also imposing sanctions on Israel over its war on Gaza.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez told the summit that a two-state solution was not possible“when the population of one of those two states is the victim of genocide.”

In his speech, Macron also outlined a framework for establishing a“renewed Palestinian Authority”. This post-war plan envisages the creation of an International Stabilisation Force (ISF) to assist in preparing the Palestinian Authority (PA) to assume governance in Gaza.

President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the recognition by the new states. Addressing the conference by video – after being denied a visa by the administration of US President Donald Trump to attend the UNGA – he called on others to follow suit.

“We call on those that have not yet done so to recognise Palestine,” Abbas said, adding that the PA also demanded“support for Palestine's full membership in the United Nations.”

Israel and the United States, increasingly isolated internationally on the issue, boycotted the summit. Israel's UN ambassador, Danny Danon, dismissed the event as a“circus”.

Although the vast majority of UN member states now recognise Palestine, admission as a full UN member state requires approval from the Security Council, where the United States has repeatedly used its veto to block Palestinian membership.

Speaking at the summit, UN Secretary-General António Guterres reiterated his support for a two-state solution, framing it as the only viable path to peace after decades of failed negotiations and continuing violence.

He stressed that Palestinian statehood“is a right, not a reward”, rejecting US and Israeli claims that recognition constitutes a concession to Hamas.

Saudi Arabia's foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, thanked Macron and the UN chief for their efforts, reaffirming that a two-state solution remains“the only way to achieve a just and lasting peace”.

PAN Monitor/sa

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