French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday that officially recognising a Palestinian state would be the strongest way to weaken Hamas, while again voicing sharp criticism of Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza.
“Recognising a Palestinian state is just deciding to say: The legitimate perspective of Palestinian people and what they suffer today has nothing to do with Hamas,” Macron told Israel’s Channel 12 in an interview conducted in English. “Recognition of a Palestinian state is the best way to isolate Hamas.”
Push For Recognition At The United Nations
France and the United Kingdom are among several Western nations preparing to back a resolution this month at the United Nations General Assembly that would grant Palestine formal recognition. The initiative is seen as a renewed attempt to revive the long-stalled two-state solution, a vision of peace that Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to reject.
Macron warned that time is running out. With Israeli settlers expanding their presence in the occupied West Bank, he said it was “the last minute before proposing the two states would become totally impossible.”
Escalating Violence In Gaza
On Thursday, Israeli tanks and warplanes struck Gaza City in a massive ground offensive, marking another chapter in a conflict that reignited after Hamas’ deadly attacks on Israel in October 2023. Those attacks left 1,219 people dead, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures.
Israel’s response has been relentless. The health ministry in Gaza, whose data the United Nations regards as credible, reports at least 65,141 deaths so far, also largely civilians.
Macron: Offensive Damaging Israel’s Global Standing
Macron did not mince words about Israel’s military approach. He called the current operations in Gaza “totally counterproductive” and ultimately “a failure.”
“You are completely destroying the image and the credibility of Israel, not just in the region, but in public opinion everywhere,” he warned.
