Macron announces plan to recognise Palestine
French President Emmanuel Macron has announced on X that France will recognise Palestine as a state. Almost 150 UN member states have already recognised Palestinian statehood, but there are certain key Western countries that have yet to do so, including the US and the UK, which have UN veto powers. What can Macron achieve with his announcement?
The only way forward
This was a necessary step, Público argues:
“While the international community observes and condemns, it is hesitant to act. The United States is protecting Israel from UN sanctions. Europe is torn between historical guilt and geopolitical calculations. Against this backdrop, Emmanuel Macron's decision to officially recognise Palestinian statehood in September takes on additional significance. France is the first G7 country to assume that the two-state solution is the only way out of this cycle of destruction. Above all, this is an appeal to the international conscience, because a democracy cannot be built on the utter misery of another people.”
A position with no impact
The situation requires more than mere words, Le Point stresses:
“For the recognition of a Palestinian state to contribute to a solution, the Palestinian administration must be capable of acting and its legitimacy must be confirmed by elections. It must be committed to peaceful coexistence and a peace process with Israel must be launched. None of these conditions have been met. ... Additional pressure from the Europeans could help, but this cannot be achieved by representing a basic position that has no impact on the situation in the region, that will only deepen the divisions within the Western camp, lead to the abandonment of the common stance with Germany and the UK, hand the Hamas Islamists a symbolic victory and increase the harmful impact of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in our country.”
Paris sees opportunities in the region
This decision did not come out of the blue, Phileleftheros emphasises:
“And the timing is no coincidence either. Macron recognised that Israel's image was in a worse state than ever before. And given that his relationship with France's Jewish community, the third largest in the world, has never been particularly good, he decided that the conditions were favourable to present himself as a sensitive leader. The reality is simple: France sees the huge opportunities in the Middle East -economically, in terms of energy policy and in other areas. Its once influential role in the region has dramatically declined and it is now trying to revive this.”
Flagship France
France and Europe's recognition of Palestine is proof of their independence, Večernji list observes:
“France is thus reaffirming its desire to take on a leading role - its recognition of Palestine will put pressure on other EU members to take a clear stance on Palestinian statehood. ... This step also shows that France is prepared to act independently of Washington and the transatlantic alliance. It means that Europe is also prepared to act autonomously, which will add to its clout on the diplomatic stage.”