France officially recognizes state of Palestine, Macron announces

French President Emmanuel Macron announced Monday that his nation officially recognizes the state of Palestine.

"I declare that today, France recognizes the state of Palestine," Macron said at an international conference on Palestine in New York ahead of the start of this week's UN General Assembly.

"The time has come to stop war, the bombing in Gaza, the massacres and the fleeing people," Macron said, adding: "Nothing justifies the ongoing war in Gaza."

He emphasized that the recognition represents "the only solution that will allow for Israel to live in peace."

Macron underscored the urgency of the situation, saying "the time for peace has come because we're just a few moments away from no longer being able to seize peace."

He said France's recognition "is a defeat for (the Palestinian group) Hamas, just like for all those who foment antisemitism, nurture anti-Zionist obsessions, and who want the destruction of the state of Israel."

He thanked other nations that also recently announced recognition, including Andorra, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Portugal, the UK and San Marino.

Recognition "paves the way for useful negotiations (and is) useful for Israelis and Palestinians" working toward "a peace and security plan for all," he added.

Macron also called on Arab and Muslim partners to "recognize the state of Israel and engage with Israel in normal relations as soon as the state of Palestine has been established."

He said France “will be able to decide to open an embassy to the state of Palestine as soon as all of the hostages detained in Gaza have been freed and a ceasefire has been established," adding Paris stands ready to contribute to an international stabilization mission in the territory.

The conference, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, follows up on a similar gathering in July.

The US and Israel did not attend the meeting.

Since Oct. 7, 2023, Israel's military operations in Gaza have killed over 65,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.