Macron’s Palestine recognition plan sparks global reactions

French President Emmanuel Macron’s announcement that France will recognize the State of Palestine during the upcoming UN General Assembly in September has drawn strong reactions from across the political spectrum.

Palestinian groups and leaders welcomed the move. Hamas said it “welcomes Macron’s intention to recognize the State of Palestine,” urging other European nations to follow suit in support of Palestinian rights.

The group added that France’s position reflects “growing international conviction in the justice of our cause and the failure of the occupation to falsify facts or suppress popular will.”

The Palestinian Authority also praised the announcement. Hussein al-Sheikh, deputy to President Mahmoud Abbas, said the move affirms France’s commitment to international law and Palestinian self-determination.

In contrast, 'Israeli' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned France’s decision, calling it a reward for terrorism and an existential threat to Israel. “It risks creating another Iranian proxy, just as Gaza became,” he said. “The Palestinians do not seek a state alongside Israel; they seek a state instead of Israel.”

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, whose government already recognized Palestine, welcomed France’s decision, stating that it would help protect the two-state solution. “Together, we must protect what Netanyahu is trying to destroy,” he wrote on X.

Macron is expected to make the recognition official in September during his address to the UN General Assembly in New York.