WASHINGTON, July 25: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Washington has outrightly rejected French President Emmanuel Macron’s plan to recognize a Palestinian state and called it a “reckless decision.”
Macron said that France intends to recognize a Palestinian state in September at the United Nations General Assembly, adding that he hoped it would help bring peace to the Middle East.
“This reckless decision only serves Hamas propaganda and sets back peace,” Rubio said in a post on X.
Washington’s ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, said in June he did not think an independent Palestinian state remained a US foreign policy goal.
Macron announced that France will formally recognize the State of Palestine, a move he said will be finalized at the United Nations General Assembly in September, amid growing international concern over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
In a post on social media, Macron said, “The urgent thing today is that the war in Gaza stops and the civilian population is saved.”
He added, “Given its historic commitment to a just and sustainable peace in the Middle East, I have decided that France will recognize the state of Palestine. Peace is possible.”
While Macron initially expressed strong support for Israel after the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023, he has since advocated for an end to the conflict and increased humanitarian aid.
The French president also shared a letter addressed to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas regarding the decision.
(UNI)
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