On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decried French President Emmanuel Macron’s intention to officially recognize Palestine as a sovereign state. Netanyahu’s remarks were made in response to Macron’s words at a UN gathering in New York in June, where Macron confirmed that he would be moving ahead with Palestinian recognition.
Netanyahu: alestinian State Endangers Israel’s Survival
Netanyahu referred to Macron’s action as a “grave mistake,” stressing that a Palestinian state in the center of Israeli land would be directed at Israel’s destruction. He said, “President Macron is seriously wrong to keep pursuing the notion of a Palestinian state in the midst of our land—a state with only one ambition: the eradication of Israel.” Netanyahu went on to fault Palestinian leaders, especially Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, for their failure to condemn the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, calling it “the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.”
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Netanyahu Refuses Moral Lectures on Palestine
The Israeli premier also made known his refusal to indulge in “moral lectures” on how to create a Palestinian state that might threaten the survival of Israel. He added that Israel will not jeopardize its existence for an “illusion cut off from reality” and queried Macron’s position by likening it to France’s attitude toward the independence of regions such as Corsica and New Caledonia, which do not pose any danger to France’s security.
Macron’s Take on Palestinian Statehood
For his part, President Macron restated his advocacy of Palestinian statehood during a televised interview. Macron asserted the validity of the right of the Palestinians to have a state and stressed that France’s advocacy of recognition would promote peace initiatives through mutual recognition on the part of Arab nations to Israel. Macron explained himself on social media, saying, “I’m in favor of the Palestinian’s right to state and peace as much as of the Israeli people’s right to live in security and peace, recognized by the neighbours.”
Macron’s declaration heralds France as one of the possibilities for European country leadership to endorse Palestine as an independent state. Although a multitude of other states, including Ireland, Norway, Spain, and Slovenia, have made comparable assertions, recognition from France would be particularly significant in light of Europe’s dominant voice. Palestine enjoys recognition by an estimated 138 UN members yet is yet to be acknowledged by Israel or even some of their Western allies.
