New york, September 23(HS): France has officially recognized a Palestinian state, a landmark decision announced by President Emmanuel Macron at the United Nations, dramatically escalating international pressure on Israel to end the war in Gaza. The move positions France alongside a growing number of Western nations championing a two-state solution amid the region’s spiraling humanitarian crisis.

Speaking at a UN summit co-hosted with Saudi Arabia, President Macron declared, the time for peace has come, and that nothing justifies the ongoing war in Gaza. He confirmed that Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta, Andorra, and San Marino would soon follow suit, days after the UK, Canada, Australia, and Portugal made similar declarations. The United States, Germany, and Italy were notably absent from the summit.Macron emphasized that France would only establish an embassy to a Palestinian state upon the release of all Israeli hostages held by Hamas and the implementation of a ceasefire. He called for a transitional administration in Gaza involving the Palestinian Authority (PA) to oversee the dismantling of Hamas and said France was ready to contribute to a stabilisation mission.

The announcement drew a sharp rebuke from Israel, whose UN ambassador, Danny Dannon, called the talks a charade and stated that a two-state solution was off the table following the October 7 Hamas attack. Conversely, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, addressing the conference via video, condemned the Hamas attack and called for the group to surrender their weapons to the PA, advocating for one unified state without weapons.

The diplomatic shift occurs as Israeli forces continue a ground offensive in Gaza City, where the Hamas-run health ministry reports the death toll has surpassed 65,000 Palestinians. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the situation as morally, legally and politically intolerable and endorsed the two-state solution as the only credible path to peace.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar