Sept. 22 (UPI) — France and Saudi Arabia held an international peace summit Monday in New York City, one day before the start of the 80th U.N. General Assembly, where French President Emmanuel Macron and other world leaders formally recognized a Palestinian state.
Macron made the announcement about a two-state solution during his speech Monday evening, saying, “We can no longer wait” to stop the violence and secure peace. Macron called for an end to the war in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages still being held by Hamas nearly two years after the Oct. 7, attacks that killed 1,200.
“The time has come to free the 48 hostages detained by Hamas. The time has come to stop the war, the bombing of Gaza, the massacres and the fleeing people. The time has come because there’s a pressing urgency everywhere,” Macron said, as he vowed that recognizing Palestine would not take away Israel’s rights.
“The time has come for Israel to live in peace and security,” Macron said. “The time has come to give justice to the Palestinian people and to recognize the state of Palestine.”
France joins the UK, Canada and Australia in recognizing a Palestinian state, along with Andorra, Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta and San Marino.
Australia, Britain, Canada and Portugal made their own declarations Sunday.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot called Monday’s peace summit with Saudi Arabia “a milestone for peace and a major diplomatic victory” nearly two years after a Hamas attack on Israel sent the region spiraling into war.
“France’s plan … aims for a two-state solution and includes concrete steps to prepare for the immediate post-war period … so that an international stabilization mission can come to Gaza to ensure the protection of both Palestinians and Israelis,” Barrot told French broadcaster TF1, according to a translation by CNN.
With Sunday’s announcements, more than 150 nations now recognize Palestine as a sovereign state. This doesn’t include G7 members Germany, Italy or the United States. Israel and the United States are expected to boycott Sunday’s summit.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hit out at the nations expressing their preference for a two-state solution Sunday, saying, “there will be no Palestinian state.” Netanyahu argued recognition of a Palestinian state would give “a huge reward to terrorism.”
Two unnamed sources told The Telegraph that the Israeli government is considering options for retaliating against France for recognizing Palestine, including possibly closing France’s consulate in Jerusalem.
The U.N. General Assembly on Friday voted 145-5 in favor of a motion to allow Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to address the international body this week in New York. Israel and the United States voted against the motion.
President Donald Trump will be in New York tomorrow, to mark the 80th anniversary of the UN’s General Assembly founding.