Opposition MP Gideon Saar Photo: Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90
In response to French President Emmanuel Macron’s statement about the possible recognition of the Palestinian state as early as June, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar accused Paris of being ready to “reward terrorism”. This was reported by AFP, citing Saar’s post on the X platform.
“The unilateral recognition of a fictional Palestinian state in the current reality is nothing more than an encouragement of terrorism and a gift to Hamas,” Saar said.
In his view, such a move would only move the Middle East further away from peace and stability. “It will not bring peace, security or stability – on the contrary, it will only exacerbate the situation,” he added.
In a recent interview with France 5, President Macron stressed that France is “moving towards” recognising Palestine and will do so in the coming months. According to him, this decision is not a gesture of satisfying someone’s will, but an “act of justice”.
“We want to be part of a collective dynamic that will allow those countries that support Palestine to finally recognise Israel,” the French leader added.
Palestinian Foreign Minister Varsen Agabekian Shahin welcomed the Paris statement, calling it “a step in the right direction”.
More than 150 countries have already recognised Palestinian statehood, including Ireland, Spain, Norway and Slovenia in 2024. At the same time, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to strongly oppose the two-state solution.
