Leading US Jewish Groups Reject Meeting Over France Palestinian Recognition

Several major American Jewish organizations, including AIPAC, the Anti-Defamation League, and the American Jewish Committee, collectively declined a meeting with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot following French President Emmanuel Macron's announcement to recognize Palestine as a state. These groups criticized Macron’s unilateral decision, arguing it undermines prospects for a negotiated peace between Israelis and Palestinians and emboldens extremists, while also jeopardizing global Jewish security and alienating moderates. They expressed disappointment over being invited to discuss a policy already finalized rather than being consulted beforehand. The coalition highlighted that Macron abandoned previously stated conditions for recognition, such as the release of hostages held by Hamas and the group’s surrender, effectively rewarding Hamas’s brutality and legitimizing terrorism. They also commended the Trump administration for opposing Macron’s move and urged the French president to reconsider his decision prior to the upcoming UN General Assembly session. French officials, however, defended the recognition as a rebuke to Hamas’s rejection of a two-state solution.