French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot called on more countries to recognize Palestinian statehood.
“In New York with 14 other countries, France launches a collective call: We express our desire to recognize the State of Palestine and invite those who have not yet done so to join us,” Barrot wrote in a post on X, accompanied by a joint statement of foreign ministers made at a United Nations conference in New York.
The statement was signed by the foreign ministers of Andorra, Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Slovenia and Spain.
The ministers condemned the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas; called on the terror group to immediately release all the hostages it still holds; expressed support for a two-state solution in the Middle East; and called on others to recognize Palestinian statehood ahead of the United Nations General Assembly in September. They also expressed “grave concern” over the large number of civilian casualties and humanitarian situation in Gaza as Israel’s war grinds on in the coastal enclave.
French President Emmanuel Macron last week announced his country would recognize Palestine as a state at the UNGA, sparking condemnation from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said the move “rewards terror.” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the decision “reckless.”
A French diplomatic official pushed back against the criticism, arguing the move could push “key Arab and Muslim partners” to “take steps” toward “isolating Hamas” by agreeing to back a full disarmament of the Islamist outfit and its exclusion from any future Palestinian governance in exchange for the recognition of statehood.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer took steps in France’s direction Tuesday, announcing that the United Kingdom will recognize Palestinian statehood unless the Israeli government takes “substantive steps” to end the crisis in Gaza.Victor Goury-Laffont contributed to this report.
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