
A shift in European positions on the issue of recognizing the State of Palestine. Israel rejects British plans in this regard, and Macron seeks to persuade the G7 to take a positive step.
- Europe and Arabs
- Wednesday , 30 July 2025 4:38 AM GMT
Gaza - London - Paris: Europe and the Arabs
The past few hours have witnessed new developments in European positions on the issue of recognizing the State of Palestine. Israel expressed its "rejection" of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's announcement of his country's intention to recognize the State of Palestine unless the Jewish state moves toward halting the Gaza war.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry said on the "X" platform that "Israel rejects the statement issued by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom," according to a report published by the European news network Euronews in Brussels.
In its statement, the Israeli Foreign Ministry considered that "the British government's change of position at this particular moment, following the French initiative and under domestic political pressure, is a reward for Hamas and harms efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza and a framework for the release of the hostages."
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer had announced that his country would officially recognize the State of Palestine next September unless Israel took "vital steps" in Gaza, most notably agreeing to an immediate ceasefire, rejecting the annexation of the West Bank, and engaging in the two-state solution. Starmer's announcement came after an emergency meeting with his cabinet ministers, in light of the escalating crisis in the besieged and devastated Gaza Strip. His office reported that the Prime Minister stressed during the meeting that recognizing the State of Palestine would be a "contribution to a genuine peace process" at a sensitive moment when a two-state solution could have a profound impact.
The British move follows a similar announcement by French President Emmanuel Macron last week, who pledged to make France the first G7 country to recognize the State of Palestine.
While the French position drew criticism from the US administration, US President Donald Trump, during his meeting with Starmer in Scotland on Monday, appeared to have no objection to the British plan, saying, "I don't mind Starmer taking a position."
Starmer is expected to present his plan to several allies in the coming days, according to The Telegraph, while London announced that it will conduct a comprehensive assessment in September of the extent to which the relevant parties have responded to the British conditions. Starmer emphasized that Hamas is required to immediately release the hostages, commit to a ceasefire, disarm, and relinquish any role in the future management of Gaza's affairs.
A remarkable shift in European positions
Historically, Britain has supported the principle of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel, but has always linked recognition to a negotiated solution. Today, London appears closer than ever to taking a symbolic step that reflects a shift in European and global sentiment toward Israeli policies, especially in light of the ongoing escalation in Gaza.
More than 140 countries around the world, including 12 European countries, have so far recognized the State of Palestine. British recognition, like France's, is expected to be primarily symbolic, but it also signals a growing shift in international positions that could increase diplomatic pressure on Israel.
A sense of discontent prevails in Europe regarding the situation in Gaza. Several countries, including Ireland, Spain, and the Netherlands, have urged Israel to allow more aid into the country and halt military operations. In Britain, more than 250 of the 650 members of Parliament in the House of Commons signed a letter calling on the government to recognize a Palestinian state, a move that reflects growing parliamentary support for this option.
The French Position
After seven decades of hesitation and vacillating positions, France has broken its silence. In a historic move, President Emmanuel Macron recently announced that his country will officially recognize the State of Palestine in the coming months.
Macron's announcement marks a pivotal moment in French foreign policy and a clear indication of a long-awaited diplomatic shift, returning Paris to the forefront of initiatives aimed at resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict on the basis of two states.
The French President confirmed that the official announcement will be made during his speech before the United Nations General Assembly next September, also indicating his country's intention to organize a joint international conference with Saudi Arabia to support the two-state solution. This announcement represents the culmination of a long diplomatic process that began in 1947, when France voted in favor of the partition of Palestine (Resolution 181), despite its diplomats' reservations about the plan's realism, which provided for the establishment of two states, one Jewish and one Arab, with Jerusalem designated as an international zone.
Decades of Marginalization and Hesitation
After a nine-month delay in declaring the establishment of Israel, France officially recognized it in January 1949, in the absence of any existing Palestinian entity, as the West Bank was under Jordanian control and Gaza was under Egyptian supervision. At the time, France was still a colonial power, preoccupied with its foreign wars, and the Palestinian issue seemed absent from its diplomatic priorities. With the Suez Crisis of 1956, the alliance between Paris and Tel Aviv was strengthened, and the military partnership between the two parties expanded, under President Charles de Gaulle's support for this alliance without regard for Palestinian rights, until 1967.
A Gradual Shift after 1967
The Six-Day War of June 1967 represented a turning point in French policy. De Gaulle condemned Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories, imposed an arms embargo on Israel, and supported UN Resolution 242 calling for withdrawal from the Palestinian territories. This marked a French shift toward supporting a solution based on the principle of land for peace.
In the 1970s, France began to gradually open up to the Palestinians. In 1971, President Georges Pompidou called for a resolution of the Palestinian issue through a free referendum. In 1974, relations witnessed a qualitative development with the first official meeting between Yasser Arafat and a French minister, followed by a prominent statement by President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, who stated that the Palestinian people had the right to a "homeland."
In 1980, France contributed to pushing the European Economic Community to adopt the Venice Declaration, which recognized the Palestinians' right to self-rule and the legitimacy of the Palestine Liberation Organization's participation in peace efforts.
Mitterrand, Chirac, and Hollande: Implicit Recognitions and Official Hesitation
In 1982, President François Mitterrand revolutionized French political discourse when he spoke before the Knesset about the possibility that the right to self-determination could lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state. He then received Arafat at the Élysée Palace in 1989.
President Jacques Chirac maintained active diplomacy toward the Palestinians throughout the 1990s, most notably his famous visit to East Jerusalem in 1996, where he clashed publicly with Israeli security forces. Despite the good relationship with the Palestinian Authority after the Oslo Accords, no French president had dared to officially recognize the State of Palestine until then. Under Nicolas Sarkozy and François Hollande, official hesitation continued, despite Paris's support for Palestine's accession to UNESCO in 2011 and the General Assembly's 2012 decision to grant it non-member observer state status.
The French Parliament, both chambers, adopted a symbolic resolution supporting the recognition of Palestine during Hollande's term, but it had no practical effect. Despite organizing an international conference in early 2017, Hollande took no concrete steps before his departure.
2024: From Bias to Rebalancing
Macron's two terms witnessed periods of ambiguity and vacillation. Despite continued talk of a two-state solution, the attacks of October 7, 2023, prompted the French president to adopt positions widely perceived as biased toward Israel and ignoring the Palestinian presence.
In February 2024, Macron began to recalibrate his position, declaring that recognizing the state of Palestine was "not taboo." However, in May, he declined to join Spain, Ireland, and Norway in formally recognizing the state, citing his desire to avoid an "emotional" recognition and affirming his readiness to do so "at the appropriate time." Today, Macron hopes to persuade his G7 partners to take the step of recognizing a Palestinian state. However, the question remains: Could this French recognition, after decades of hesitation, mark a true turning point?
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