France will recognise a Palestinian state in September at the UN general assembly, Emmanuel Macron has said.
The French president announced the decision on X on Thursday evening, saying he hoped it would bring peace to the region.
Macron published a letter sent to the Palestinian Authority president, Mahmoud Abbas, confirming France’s intention to become the first major western power to recognise a Palestinian state.
“True to 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 said.
“I will make this solemn announcement at the United Nations General Assembly next September.”
The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said France’s decision “rewards terror” and “risks creating another Iranian proxy, just as Gaza became”, which 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,” he added.
The decision is also likely to spark anger in Washington. In a diplomatic cable in June, the US said it opposed any steps that would unilaterally recognise a Palestinian state.