French President Emmanuel Macron declared on the 22nd (local time) at the United Nations General Assembly that France will officially recognize Palestine as a state. With France joining after other major Western allies such as the United Kingdom and Canada recognized Palestine as a state the previous day, the international diplomatic landscape is rapidly being reshaped in a direction that turns its back on the United States and Israel.
In opening remarks at a high-level meeting on the "two-state solution" co-hosted by France and Saudi Arabia that day, President Macron said, "The time has come," and added, "Today, France recognizes the State of Palestine." He emphasized, "We must do everything we can to preserve the possibility of a two-state solution in which Israel and Palestine coexist side by side in peace and security."
Earlier, on the 21st, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and Portugal announced their recognition of the State of Palestine. At the meeting on the 22nd, beginning with France, Malta, Monaco, Luxembourg, and Belgium joined the ranks, one after another.
This movement unfolded amid fierce opposition from the United States and Israel. The United States and Israel skipped the meeting that day, signaling their displeasure. White House Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said, "President Trump has made it very clear that he does not agree with this decision," adding, "We believe it is a reward for Hamas that does nothing to free hostages or end the war."
Danny Danon, Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, told reporters before the meeting that "this is not diplomacy but a showy performance (circus)," downplaying it. Israel is said to be considering, as a countermeasure, even annexation of the West Bank.
On the Palestinian side, Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas joined the meeting by video that day. Although the U.N. General Assembly was held in New York, the United States refused to issue a visa to Palestine. In his speech, Abbas appealed, "Please support Palestine becoming a full member state of the United Nations." He also stressed that Hamas will play no role in a future Palestinian government and must be disarmed.
Driving the shift in Western countries' decades-long foreign policy is the catastrophe in Gaza. More than 65,000 people have died in Gaza in the war that began with the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023. The expansion of West Bank settlements led by Israel is also physically undermining the two-state solution, which was the original path to resolution. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres warned, "Palestinian statehood is a right, not a reward," adding, "Denying it would be a gift to extremists around the world."
However, experts said that while this domino of recognizing Palestinian statehood carries great symbolic weight, it will be difficult to change the situation on the ground immediately. That is because Palestine must pass approval by the U.N. Security Council, where the United States holds a veto, to become a full U.N. member state.