France has joined five other countries in formally recognising the state of Palestine, a move announced on Monday at a high-level summit in New York ahead of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
The landmark declaration was co-convened by France and Saudi Arabia, with Andorra, Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta, and Monaco also pledging recognition. They follow Australia, Canada, Portugal, and the United Kingdom, which had taken the step a day earlier.
“We have gathered here because the time has come,” French President Emmanuel Macron declared. “It falls on us, this responsibility, to do everything in our power to preserve the possibility of a two-state solution. Today, I declare that France recognises the state of Palestine.”
The recognitions bring the number of UN member states acknowledging Palestinian statehood to over 147 out of 193, representing more than 80 percent of the international community.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who also addressed the summit, condemned Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza, where more than 65,000 Palestinians have reportedly been killed. “The Palestinian people are being annihilated,” he said. “In the name of reason, in the name of international law and in the name of human dignity, we have to stop this slaughter.”
The growing wave of recognition has increased diplomatic pressure on Israel as world leaders renew calls for a two-state solution to end the decades-long conflict.
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