France Leads Wave Recognizing Palestinian State

Several states including France, the UK, Canada, Portugal and Australia formally recognised a Palestinian state at this week’s U.N. General Assembly, marking a broader diplomatic shift. French President Emmanuel Macron said the move was intended to isolate Hamas and revive a two‑state solution after witnessing Gaza’s humanitarian suffering, and he presented a three‑page “day after” plan to U.S. President Donald Trump seeking to exclude Hamas from future rule while warning that Israeli annexation of West Bank territory would be a U.S. “red line.” Supporters and international‑law experts say recognition affirms Palestinians’ right to statehood and is an important legal and political step toward peace, and several governments have called for an immediate ceasefire amid UN investigators’ findings of severe humanitarian abuses in Gaza. Critics, including former Israeli defense minister Benny Gantz and some U.S. commentators, argue unilateral recognition after Oct. 7 rewards terrorism, undermines Israel’s bipartisan security consensus and risks further violence absent accountable governance and de‑radicalization. The action has provoked anger in Israel and among some U.S. officials, intensified debate over settlements and Arab‑Israeli normalisation, and left questions about how much practical effect additional recognitions will have beyond symbolism.