France to recognize the Palestinian state in September

France will officially recognize the Palestinian state in September, President Emanuel Macron said.

In a post of X, Macron said the official announcement would be made at a UN General Assembly session in New York.

“The urgent need today is to end the war in Gaza and to save the civilian population. It is possible for peace. We need an immediate cessation of the fire, the release of all hostages and the massive humanitarian assistance to Gaza people,” he writes.

The Palestinian officials welcomed Macron’s course while Israel’s deputy minister Jariv Levin described him as “direct assistance to terrorism”.

In his post on Thursday of X, Macron wrote: “True to his historical commitment to just and lasting peace in the Middle East, I decided that France would recognize Palestine’s state.

“We must also guarantee Hamas’s demilitarization and protect and restore gas.

“Finally, we must build the condition of Palestine, guarantee its viability, and ensure that accepting its demilitarianization and fully recognizing Israel, this contributes to the security of everyone in the Middle East. There is no alternative.”

Macron also applied a letter to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, confirming his decision.

Responding to Macron’s message, Abbas Deputy Hussein Al Sheikh said that “this position reflects France’s commitment to international law and his support for the rights of the Palestinian people to self -determination and the creation of our independent state,” according to the AFP news agency.

The state of Palestine is currently recognized by 147 of 193 UN Member States.

Several European Union countries, including Spain, are among them. But the main supporter of Israel, the United States and its allies did not recognize a Palestinian state.