French President declares recognition of Palestinian state

French President Emmanuel Macron declared that he would recognize the state of Palestine in September, at the UN General Assembly session.

He wrote about his decision in X.

Macronʼs statement came amid a new Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip. The military is attacking the city of Deir el-Balah, which has not previously suffered massive destruction. According to the UN, almost 87.8% of the territory of the sector is now under Israeli evacuation orders or within Israeli militarized zones. As a result, 2.1 million people are squeezed into an area of almost 46 square kilometers. This is approximately the area of Uzhhorod, which is home to 114 000 people.

On July 21, 27 Western countries, including the United Kingdom, France, Australia, and Canada, issued a strong joint statement condemning Israelʼs actions and calling for an immediate end to the war. UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that "the last lifelines that keep people [in Gaza] alive are collapsing", adding that humanitarian efforts were being hampered and threatened.

Status of Palestine

In 1947, a UN General Assembly resolution voted to establish two independent states — Israel and Palestine — in the historic region of Palestine. However, this plan never materialized.

In 1988, Palestine, which was partially under Israeli control, declared independence. It has now been recognized by more than 140 of the 193 UN member states, including Ukraine. Among the European states, Bulgaria, Hungary, Cyprus, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Sweden also recognize Palestineʼs independence. None of the G7 countries has recognized Palestineʼs independence.

Palestine has observer status in the UN, and full membership is only possible by decision of the UN Security Council, but it is blocked by the US.

On May 10, 2024, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution expanding Palestineʼs rights in the organization and calling on the Security Council to favorably review the countryʼs application to become the 194th member of the UN.

In 2024, Norway, Spain, Ireland, Slovenia, and Armenia recognized Palestine as a state. Meanwhile, the Swiss parliament rejected a proposal to recognize Palestine as an independent state.

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