Ahead of the United Nations, UN General Assembly slated for September 2025, the President of France, Emmanuel Macron on Thursday issued a statement and said that France will recognize the State of Palestine at the UN coming meeting of Heads of States as a way to put an end to the war in Gaza so that the civilian populations in the Palestinian city can be rescued, also describing the move as France historical commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, this, the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu within an hour issued a counter press statement and said that the State of Israel condemned the decision of France President to recognize the State of Palestine, stressing that, such move by France rewards terror and risks creating another Iran Proxy that will be a launch pad to annihilate Israel.
According to the President of France, Emmanuel Macron; ‘True to its historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, I have decided that France will recognize the State of Palestine.
I will make the solemn announcement at the United Nations General Assembly next September. The urgency is today for the war in Gaza to end and the civilian population to be rescued. Peace is possible.
There is an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages and massive humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza. We must also guarantee the demilitarization of Hamas, secure and rebuild Gaza. At last, it is necessary to build the State of Palestine, ensure its viability and allow that by accepting its demilitarization and fully acknowledging Israel, it participates in the safety of everyone in the Middle East. There is no alternative.
The French want peace in the Middle East. It is up to us, the French, together with Israelis, the Palestinians, our European and international partners, to demonstrate that it is possible.
In light of the commitments that the President of the Palestinian Authority made to me, I wrote to him my determination to move forward. Trust, Clarity and Commitment. We will win peace”, the French President stated.
In a swift reaction, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reacted and said: “We strongly condemn President Macron’s decision to recognize a Palestinian state next to Tel Aviv in the wake of the October 7 massacre.
Such a move rewards terror and risks creating another Iranian proxy, just as Gaza became. A Palestinian state in these conditions would be a launch pad to annihilate Israel — not to live in peace beside it. Let’s be clear: the Palestinians do not seek a state alongside Israel; they seek a state instead of Israel”.
Meanwhile, it would be recalled that Daily Sabah news media on May 28, 2025 reported that “Indonesian President, Prabowo Subianto said he would consider diplomatic ties with Israel only if it recognized a Palestinian state, speaking during talks with French President Emmanuel Macron in Jakarta.
Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation, has no formal ties with Israel and has consistently called for a two-state solution to the decades long conflict.
“On various occasions, I have said that Indonesia sees that two-state solution and the freedom of Palestine is the only way to achieve the true peace,” he told a news conference.
“I also emphasized that we must acknowledge and guarantee Israel’s rights as a sovereign country that must be paid attention to and guaranteed safety.”
“Indonesia has stated that once Israel recognizes Palestine, Indonesia is ready to recognize Israel and open the diplomatic relationship.”
In a joint statement, France and Indonesia called for progress on “mutual recognition” between Israel and the Palestinians at an international conference meant to resurrect the idea of a two-state solution next month (June 2025) which Paris will co-chair.
“The conference should … restore a political prospect of a peaceful settlement of this conflict, which should allow for an irreversible path toward the realization of a Palestinian State, (and) mutual recognition between Israel and Palestine,” they said.
Support for the Palestinian cause runs high in Indonesia and the issue regularly prompts protests.
In 2023, FIFA stripped Indonesia as the Under-20 World Cup hosts after some prominent politicians called for Israel to be kicked out of the tournament and refused to host its team”.
On the other hand, Al-Jazeera on 18 July 2024 reported that “Israel’s parliament has passed a resolution that overwhelmingly rejected the establishment of a Palestinian state, Israeli media reported.
The resolution passed in the Knesset with 68 votes in favour and just nine against it early on Thursday.
It said that a Palestinian state would pose “an existential danger to the State of Israel and its citizens, perpetuate the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and destabilize the region”.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition with far-right parties co-sponsored the resolution. Opposition leader, Yair Lapid’s centre-left party left the session to avoid supporting the statement, despite previously saying he favoured a two-state solution, the Times of Israel newspaper reported.
Mustafa Barghouti, the secretary-general of the Palestinian National Initiative, slammed the passing of the resolution.
“No Zionist party from both the government and the opposition voted against the resolution,” he wrote on X.
“This resolution represents a rejection of peace with Palestinians and an official declaration of the death of [the] Oslo agreement,” Barghouti posted.
The Oslo Accords, which were first signed between Palestinian and Israeli leaders in 1993, called for a viable and sovereign Palestinian state living side by side with an Israeli state.
But Israel has continued to adopt policies such as building illegal settlements on Palestinian lands across the occupied West Bank and a complete blockade of Gaza.
Palestinian Authority official, Hussein al-Sheikh condemned the resolution on social media, saying the Knesset’s rejection “confirms the racism of the occupying state and its disregard for international law and international legitimacy, and its insistence on the approach and policy of perpetuating the occupation forever”.
Jordan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the resolution’s approval was a “dangerous” violation of international law.
“Israel’s continued efforts to deny the Palestinians’ inalienable right to their independent and sovereign state along the lines of June 4, 1967, with occupied Jerusalem as its capital, does not bring security and peace in the region,” read a statement citing the ministry’s spokesperson Sufyan al-Qudah.
The Times of Israel quoted the resolution as saying: “It will only be a matter of a short time until Hamas takes over the Palestinian state and turns it into a radical Islamic terror base, working in coordination with the Iranian-led axis to eliminate the State of Israel.”
It added that a Palestinian state at this time would be a “reward for terrorism and will only encourage Hamas and its supporters to see this as a victory”, referring to the Hamas-led attacks on October 7 in southern Israel that triggered the current conflict.
The decision, however, is not new for the Knesset which has previously rejected Palestinian statehood.
A growing number of countries have recognised Palestinian statehood, including Spain, Slovenia, Norway, Ireland and others.
The resolution comes as Netanyahu is expected to address the United States Congress next week in Washington, DC, which has caused divisions among Democratic Party lawmakers who have spoken out against Israel’s conduct in its war on Gaza.
On Wednesday, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that Israel’s policy in the occupied West Bank was dooming any prospect of a two-state solution.
Through administrative and legal steps, Israel is changing the geography of the West Bank, Guterres said in a statement read by his chief of staff, Courtenay Rattray, during a meeting of the UN Security Council.
“Recent developments are driving a stake through the heart of any prospect for a two-state solution,” he said. “We must change course. All settlement activity must cease immediately.”
The UN chief added that the settlements were a flagrant violation of international law and an obstacle to peace with Palestinians”.