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French President Emmanuel Macron has announced that France will recognise Palestine as a state, citing the urgent need to end the war in Gaza and alleviate the humanitarian crisis, France 24 reported.
Macron said in a post on social media that he will formalise the decision at the United Nations General Assembly in September. “The urgent thing today is that the war in Gaza stops and the civilian population is saved.″
The French president offered support for Israel after the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks and frequently speaks out against antisemitism, but he has grown increasingly frustrated about Israel's war in Gaza, especially in recent months, according to France 24.
"Given its historic commitment to a just and sustainable peace in the Middle East, I have decided that France will recognise the state of Palestine,'' Macron posted. ″Peace is possible.''
He also posted a letter he sent to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas about the decision.
Palestinian Authority president Mahmud Abbas's deputy Hussein al-Sheikh welcomed France's intent to recognise a State of Palestine, thanking President Emmanuel Macron.
At least 142 countries out of the 193 UN members have now recognised or plan to recognise a Palestinian state, though Israel and the United States strongly oppose recognition.
They include most Middle Eastern, African, Latin American and Asian countries, but not the United States, Canada, most of western Europe, Australia, Japan or South Korea.