France Joins Growing List of Nations Recognizing Palestinian Statehood
Guterres Reasserts Call for Ceasefire and Statehood
NEW YORK – World leaders gathered at the United Nations on Monday to renew calls for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with French President Emmanuel Macron announcing France’s recognition of a Palestinian state. The announcement, met with lengthy applause from delegates, came during the resumption of an international conference co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia.
Macron stressed that the time for peace had come, stating, “We can no longer wait.” He asserted that recognizing the legitimate rights of Palestinians does not diminish the rights of Israelis and is, in fact, the only way for Israel to live in peace. France joins a number of other nations, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and Portugal, which have recently recognized Palestinian statehood.
The conference follows the UN General Assembly’s overwhelming endorsement of a declaration from a previous meeting in July, which laid out a roadmap for peace.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres reiterated his appeal for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all 48 hostages held by Hamas, and safe, unhindered humanitarian access. He condemned both the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks and the collective punishment of the Palestinian people. Guterres also criticized the expansion of Israeli settlements and intensifying settler violence in the West Bank, which he called an “existential threat” to a two-state solution.
“We must recommit ourselves to the Two-State solution before it is too late,” he warned. “Let’s be clear: Statehood for the Palestinians is a right, not a reward. And denying statehood would be a gift to extremists everywhere.” Guterres emphasized that without two states, there will be no peace in the Middle East, and radicalism will spread globally.
General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock echoed this sentiment, arguing that while some may see the two-state solution as a “naïve wish,” it is the only way to ensure peace, security, and dignity for future generations of both peoples. She affirmed the international community’s commitment to identifying “tangible, timebound and irreversible steps for its realization.”
