French President Emmanuel Macron has announced he will recognise Palestinian statehood, drawing angry rebukes from Israel and the United States and opening the door for other major nations to perhaps follow suit.
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WHAT DID MACRON SAY?
Macron published a letter sent to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas confirming France's intention to press ahead with recognition and work to convince other partners to do the same
He said he would make a formal announcement at the United Nations General Assembly next month
France is now the first major Western country to shift its diplomatic stance on a Palestinian state, after Spain, Ireland and Norway officially recognised one last year
WHY IS THIS SIGNIFICANT?
The decision to recognise Palestinian statehood is mostly symbolic but it makes Israel appear more isolated on the international stage over the war in Gaza
WHY DID MACRON DO THIS?
Macron decided to do it ahead of a UN conference co-hosted by France and Saudi Arabia on the matter next week to try to sway other countries considering that step, or those that are wavering
WHAT IMPACT COULD IT HAVE ON FRENCH TIES WITH ISRAEL
Ahead of Macron's announcement, Israeli officials had spent months lobbying to prevent what some had called "a nuclear bomb" for bilateral relations
Sources familiar with the matter say Israel's warnings to France had ranged from scaling back intelligence-sharing to complicating Paris' regional initiatives - even hinting at possible annexation of parts of the West Bank
WHO COULD BE NEXT?
The decision by France, which is home to Europe's largest Jewish and Muslim communities alike, could fuel a movement so far dominated by smaller nations generally more critical of Israel
The decision will put pressure on major countries like Britain, Germany, Australia, Canada and Japan to follow suit
In the immediate term, Malta and Belgium could be the next countries within the European Union to do so
WHO ELSE HAS RECOGNISED PALESTINIAN STATEHOOD?
Last year, Ireland, Norway and Spain recognised a Palestinian state with its borders to be demarcated as they were prior to the 1967 Middle East war, when Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem
About 144 of the 193 member states of the United Nations recognise Palestine as a state, including most of the global south as well as Russia, China and India
Only a handful of the 27 European Union members do so, mostly former Communist countries as well as Sweden and Cyprus
The UN General Assembly approved the de facto recognition of the sovereign state of Palestine in November 2012 by upgrading its observer status at the world body to "non-member state" from "entity"
HOW DID THE UNITED STATES, ISRAEL, AND PALESTINIANS REACT?
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the decision by France, one of Israel's closest allies and a G7 member, saying such a move "rewards terror and risks creating another Iranian proxy"
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States "strongly rejects (Macron's) plan to recognise a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly"
"This reckless decision only serves Hamas propaganda and sets back peace," Rubio posted on X
The Palestinian Authority's Vice President Hussein Al Sheikh said Macron's decision reflected "France's commitment to international law and its support for the Palestinian people's rights to self-determination and the establishment of our independent state"
Australian Associated Press
