France is expected to announce tonight that it will recognise the State of Palestine, with President Emmanuel Macron due to make the declaration during a speech in New York. Outgoing foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot called it “a great day for peace and an important diplomatic victory for France,” adding that implementation would be gradual and contingent on developments on the ground, including the release of hostages.
Socialist Party support
The decision also won backing from France’s Socialist Party. Its secretary-general Olivier Faure said recognition was not “a gesture that favours Hamas,” but a reminder to Israel’s government that “we are not prepared to accept the idea of a Greater Israel,” stretching “from the Mediterranean to the River Jordan.” Faure urged French municipalities to raise the Palestinian flag on public buildings to show that “France is not only the President of the Republic,” and that the country stands behind the gesture in pursuit of a two-state solution, a position the party has advocated “since 1982,” he noted.
Flag controversy and neutrality
Bruno Retailleau, identified as a Republican and outgoing interior minister, opposed Faure’s call, urging prefects to ban the display of the Palestinian flag “in the name of the principles of public-service neutrality and non-interference in France’s foreign policy, which is the exclusive responsibility of the state.” Nevertheless, the interior ministry acknowledged at midday that 21 French municipalities had already raised the Palestinian flag.
French press reaction
Conservative daily Le Figaro described the move as a diplomatic success, reporting that after months of back-channel contacts, French diplomacy persuaded nine countries -including Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia- to follow suit. Even so, the paper noted the initiative is largely symbolic for now, since Palestine’s status at the UN will not change and the United States is expected to use its veto.
In a similar vein, Le Monde wrote that President Macron’s initiative “can only be welcomed,” calling it consistent and grounded in principles. The paper recalled that France has long supported a two-state solution, a goal first set out in the plan adopted in November 1947 under the aegis of the then newly founded United Nations. Libération called the move a historic step, arguing that over the years the recognition of two states in the region had become a forgotten commitment of the international community.
CNA sourced reporting
