This is reported by Kyiv24
The US and Israel have expressed strong disagreement with France’s plans to officially recognize the Palestinian state during the upcoming UN General Assembly meeting in September this year. This move, proposed by French President Emmanuel Macron, has triggered a sharp reaction from American and Israeli leaders.
The US and Israel’s Position on France’s Decision
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Washington categorically rejects Macron’s initiative. In his view, recognizing the Palestinian state at the UN level could only serve to promote the propaganda of the Hamas group and negatively impact the pursuit of peace in the Middle East, causing pain to the victims of the attacks on October 7 of last year.
“The United States firmly rejects Macron’s plan to recognize the Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly. This reckless decision only serves Hamas propaganda and harms peace. It is a slap in the face to the victims of October 7.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also sharply condemned Paris’s decision, stating that such a step creates security risks and potentially “rewards terror.” He believes that this could lead to the emergence of another Iranian proxy similar to the situation in the Gaza Strip. In his opinion, establishing a Palestinian state under the current conditions could pose a threat to Israel’s existence rather than promote peaceful coexistence.
France’s Reaction and the International Context
French President Emmanuel Macron insists that the official recognition of the Palestinian state will be an important step towards a peaceful resolution of the long-standing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. If France proceeds with this plan in September, it will become the first major Western country to recognize Palestine not only de facto but also de jure.
As of today, approximately 150 out of 193 UN member countries recognize the independence of Palestine. However, the US and Israel continue to refrain from such a step. According to UN resolutions, the territory of the future Palestinian state should encompass the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem, but the Israeli side disagrees with such delineation.
It is worth noting that on October 7, 2023, Hamas militants attacked Israel, resulting in the deaths of about 1,200 people, with over 250 individuals taken hostage. In response, the Israeli army conducted a large-scale military operation in the Gaza Strip, declaring the goal of rescuing hostages and destroying Hamas. According to reports from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Ministry of Health, the number of casualties from Israeli attacks has exceeded 50,000, but these figures lack independent verification and do not distinguish between civilians and militants.
In June 2025, the head of the Palestinian National Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, publicly condemned the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, although he had previously refrained from direct condemnation. Abbas had earlier called on the group to release the hostages. It is known that the leadership of the Palestinian National Authority has long distanced itself from supporting terrorism as a means of fighting for the establishment of an Arab state, but official condemnations of the actions of terrorist groups by the administration are rare.