ISTANBUL, Sept 23 — French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Monday that his nation officially recognises the state of Palestine, Anadolu Ajansi (AA) reported.
“I declare that today, France recognises the state of Palestine,” Macron said at an international conference on Palestine in New York ahead of the start of this week’s UN General Assembly.
“The time has come to stop war, the bombing in Gaza, the massacres and the fleeing people,” Macron said, adding: “Nothing justifies the ongoing war in Gaza.”
Macron underscored the urgency of the situation, saying “the time for peace has come because we’re just a few moments away from no longer being able to seize peace.”
He thanked other nations that also recently announced recognition, including Andorra, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Portugal, the UK and San Marino.
Recognition “paves the way for useful negotiations (and is) useful for Israelis and Palestinians” working toward “a peace and security plan for all,” he added.
He said France “will be able to decide to open an embassy to the state of Palestine as soon as all of the hostages detained in Gaza have been freed and a ceasefire has been established,” adding Paris stands ready to contribute to an international stabilisation mission in the territory.
The conference, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, follows up on a similar gathering in July.
The United States (US) and Israel did not attend the meeting.
Since Oct 7, 2023, Israel’s military operations in Gaza have killed over 65,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.
