Israel condemns France's decision to recognize Palestinian state

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has condemned French President Emmanuel Macron's decision to recognize Palestinian statehood.

In a statement released by his office, PM Netanyahu said, "Such a move rewards terror and risks creating another Iranian proxy, just as Gaza became."

"A Palestinian state in these conditions would be a launch pad to annihilate Israel, not to live in peace beside it," he said.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said, "A Palestinian state will be a Hamas state, just as the withdrawal from the Gaza Strip twenty years ago led to Hamas taking control of it."

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.