Ankara (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – On Sunday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan lauded a decision made by the French president to recognize Palestine as a state during a phone call between the two leaders, according to a statement by the Turkish presidency.
A few days ago, President Emmanuel Macron announced that France will recognise Palestine as a state, has said. He said that he will standardize the decision at the United Nations General Assembly in September.
“In keeping with its historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, I have decided that France will recognise the State of Palestine,”
Macron noted.
“I will solemnly announce this at the United Nations General Assembly in September this year,”
he also said.
What does France’s recognition of Palestine signify?
The move makes France the largest and arguably most influential country in Europe to move to recognise a Palestinian state, after European Union members Norway, Ireland, and Spain indicated they would also begin the same process.
The announcement also comes as growing European anger over Israel’s war in Gaza has grown, where Israel has killed 59,587 Palestinians and blocked humanitarian aid, creating a hunger crisis.
Currently, though, at least 142 of the 193 UN member countries recognize or plan to recognize a state of Palestine, although several powerful Western states – the US, UK, Germany – do not.
How are Western allies reacting to the Gaza conflict?
Earlier this week, together with the UK, Australia, Canada, and 21 other allies of Israel, France condemned the restrictions on aid shipments into Gaza and the killing of hundreds of Palestinians trying to seek food. The joint statement, the most significant yet from Western countries, said the war “must end now”.
Macron previously confirmed his intention to acknowledge the state of Palestine, and France’s foreign minister plans to co-host a UN conference next week focused on a two-state solution to the long-standing conflict.
