President Emmanuel Macron has pledged that France will recognise Palestine as a state at the UN General Assembly in September, becoming the biggest and most influential EU country to do so as pressure grows on Israel to end its offensive in Gaza.
In a letter sent to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday, the French leader lauded promises that Abbas had made in their discussions and said France would make the long-awaited political move in return.
“In keeping with its historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, I have decided that France will recognise the state of Palestine,” Macron wrote in a post on X.