United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio has strongly rejected French President Emmanuel Macron’s announcement to recognize a Palestinian state, while the Trump administration confirmed it will boycott an upcoming United Nations conference on a two-state solution.
Rubio criticized Macron’s “reckless decision” on X Thursday night, claiming it “only serves Hamas propaganda and sets back peace.” This followed Macron’s earlier statement that France would officially recognize a Palestinian state at the UN 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 posted on X.
Currently, 142 of the 193 UN member countries recognize or plan to recognize a Palestinian state. However, several major Western nations including the US, United Kingdom, and Germany have refused recognition. European Union members Norway, Ireland, and Spain began their recognition processes in May.
Macron’s decision makes France the largest and most influential European country to take this step, particularly significant given France’s status as both a G7 member and one of Israel’s closest allies.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the decision, stating such a move “rewards terror and risks creating another Iranian proxy.” He argued that “a Palestinian state in these conditions would be a launch pad to annihilate Israel โ not to live in peace beside it,” adding that “Palestinians do not seek a state alongside Israel; they seek a state instead of Israel.”
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz called the move “a disgrace and a surrender to terrorism,” stating Israel would not permit establishing a “Palestinian entity that would harm our security, endanger our existence.”
While two-state solution support remains official US policy, President Trump has expressed doubts about its viability. Since returning to office in January, Trump suggested the US could “take over” Gaza, relocate its two million Palestinian residents, and transform it into the “Riviera of the Middle East.” Rights groups, Arab states, Palestinians, and the UN have condemned this plan as tantamount to “ethnic cleansing.”
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee stated in June that an independent Palestinian state was no longer a US foreign policy goal. However, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce clarified that Huckabee “speaks for himself” and policy decisions belong to Trump and the White House.
State Department deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott confirmed Thursday that Washington will not attend the upcoming UN conference on the two-state solution, scheduled for July 28-30 and co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia. The conference aims to develop a roadmap for ending the decades-long conflict and recognizing a Palestinian state.
Israel faces mounting pressure to end its Gaza war, launched following Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attacks on southern Israel that killed approximately 1,139 people and took over 200 captives to Gaza. Israel’s subsequent 21-month assault has resulted in nearly 60,000 Palestinian deaths and 144,000 wounded.
Ceasefire negotiations brokered by the US, Egypt, and Qatar have failed to achieve breakthrough results. On Monday, 28 countries including the UK, Japan, and numerous European nations issued a joint statement demanding Israel end the Gaza war “now,” condemning “the drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians, including children, seeking to meet their most basic needs of water and food.”
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