President Emmanuel Macron announced late on Thursday that France would recognise the state of Palestine as part of "its historical commitment to a just and durable peace in the Middle East".
In a surprise statement on X that followed months of hints and hesitations over possible French recognition of a Palestinian state, he said that he would make a formal announcement to that effect at the UN General Assembly in September in New York.
"Today the most urgent thing is that the war in Gaza cease and the civilian population be helped," Macron said. His statement came as anger mounted across the world over the continued Israeli military operation in Gaza and growing starvation there.
France would become the first of the G7 major industrialised nations — including the US, Britain, Canada, Germany, Japan and Italy — to recognise a Palestinian state. The decision appeared likely to irk the Trump administration
New York Times News Service