France announces recognition of Palestinian state
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
Jul 25, 2025
French President Emmanuel Macron says France will recognize the Palestinian state, a move that comes amid growing international outrage over the starvation campaign imposed by the Israeli regime on Palestinian residents in Gaza.
Macron announced the decision in a post on his X (formerly Twitter) account on Thursday, saying that he will formalize it at the United Nations General Assembly in September.
"The urgent thing today is that the war in Gaza must stop, and the civilian population must be protected," he wrote.
The Islamic Resistance Movement welcomed the decision, describing it as a sign of a shifting international approach. Hamas said in a statement that such positions increase political and moral pressure on the occupying Israeli regime and could play an important role in halting crimes being committed in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, according to Al Jazeera.
Hamas also called on other European countries to stand with the Palestinian people and to recognize historical justice.
Macron's decision makes France, which is one of Israel's closest allies, the biggest Western power to recognize a Palestinian state. His move could pave the way for other countries to take the same measure.
Spain, Ireland, and Saudi Arabia welcomed the French move as well, with Riyadh calling it a historic decision. The United States and Israel however rejected it.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in a post on X, criticized what he called the reckless decision that "only serves Hamas propaganda and sets back peace."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the decision "rewards terror", and that "A Palestinian state in these conditions would be a launch pad to annihilate Israel, not to live in peace beside it."
France's move comes as global outrage is growing against Israel over the mounting civilian death toll in Gaza, where Palestinians lose their lives to either airstrikes or shootings by Israeli forces targeting people waiting to get food.
According to Gaza's Health Ministry, the war has killed at least 59,587 people and wounded 143,498 others since early October 2023.
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