France to Recognize Palestinian State on September 22

French President Emmanuel Macron has made a historic announcement, confirming that on September 22 at the UN, he will officially announce the recognition of the State of Palestine. With this step, France will become the first Western member of the UN Security Council to take such an action. In an interview with CBS, Macron detailed that this is not just a recognition, but the beginning of a political process and a comprehensive program for peace and security for everyone in the region.

Macron emphasized that the recognition is conditional and pursues clear objectives. He presented a three-phase plan:

Emergency phase: Immediate ceasefire, release of all hostages, and stabilization of the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Prospective phase: Organization of Gaza's governance, security, and reconstruction.

Long-term perspective: Implementation of the two-state solution.

The French President clarified that although the recognition will be announced immediately, a clear precondition for opening an embassy is the release of all hostages.

Responding to US criticism that this step is "reckless" and encourages HAMAS, Macron countered by insisting that his goal is precisely to isolate HAMAS. "If we do not offer the Palestinians a political perspective, their only response will be security, and they will fall completely into the trap of HAMAS as the only option," he noted. He also criticized Israel's "total war" strategy, calling it a "failure," as slain militants are replaced by new ones, which shows that it is impossible to eliminate HAMAS by military means alone.

Macron added that the decision on recognition was also facilitated by the Israeli Knesset's vote to resume the construction of settlements on the West Bank, which, in his words, "kills the possibility of two states."

At the same time, he clarified that France does not qualify what is happening in Gaza as genocide, noting that this is a matter for lawyers and historians, not a political statement. "We do not consider what is happening to be genocide because this is not a political statement. Judges, historians, and others must qualify genocide based on a series of evidence, clear judicial practice, and clear elements," he explained.

Nevertheless, the French President emphasized that he does not reject the previously published UN report, which contains accusations against Israel of "incitement to genocide." Thus, he delineates political assessments and legal processes, leaving the qualification of the issue to specialists.